Red and Purple
by SonicLover
Summary: Happy new year! The long awaited sequel to A Boundary Crossed contains a few twists and things I would never have thought to include in the last story. Fans of that will probably love this! But be sure to read that first!
1. Time to Relax

Red and Purple

Disclaimer: Some characters and concepts are mine, some aren't. If you're willing to wait until the end credits, I'll tell you what's what.

Author's note: Well, this is it, the sequel to A Boundary Crossed. This has been highly anticipated by many of my fans (all three of them!) so I wanted to make it as soon as I could.

Note to readers: This story will be divided into a number of "segments". At the end of each segment, I'll provide a summary of the preceding events. Also, I may vary the point of view illustrated in each part of the story. Just stay calm and try to keep track; it's usually obvious who's telling the story, and I won't swap the viewpoints without letting you know.

-

Segment 1: A Whole New World

Chapter 1: Time to Relax

-

(Leo)

MEGAMAN DELETED

"Arg! That's the fifth time in a row you've beaten me, Kim!"

"Then why do you keep agreeing to rematches, Leo?"

"Because I figure the outcome will change eventually."

I threw my Nintendo DS down on the table in a huff. Kim set hers down gently.  
"Come on, Leo," Kim tried to persuade me. "How about another game?"

"No!" I shot back. "I am sick of you always beating me. Let's do something else."

"Well, okay. I was getting kinda bored of this anyway."

The two of us went outside our house and sat on a bench in the front yard. A deer scampered through the yard and dashed into the woods. It was the middle of autumn, a few weeks after I'd been clonked on the head while biking.

After a silence, Kim spoke up. "Nature is very beautiful, don't you think, Leo?"

I nodded. "Look, there are some birds up there."

"Yes, I see them. Oh, that reminds me. Remember that dream you had the other day? The crazy one about Emerald Town and the two-tailed fox and all that?"

"Of course I do. Why do you ask?"

"No reason. I just like thinking about it. It seems that every time I go to sleep since then, I dream of you rushing to escape that mine or scaling that tower's spiral staircase or riding that W.T. guy through the water. I wish I could have adventures like that."

I folded my arms. "Yeah, same here. I wish I could go back there someday."

Kim adjusted her bracelet. Taking a look at it, I noticed that she'd decorated it with the feather I'd given her. I laughed a little, and ran my hand over my T-shirt's sleeve. It had been stitched up back where it was torn.

"Isn't it nice out today, Kim?" I finally asked. "The air is so crisp, and the temperature is perfect. Sometimes I wish it would be like this forever."

"Oh, absolutely," Kim concurred. "Let's stay out here a little bit longer. It's only one in the afternoon."

The two of us fell silent and let nature do the talking. We listened as the leaves rustled and fell down from the trees. One of them landed on the head of my younger sister; I brushed it off, laughing a little.

We must've been out in the front yard for at least half an hour. After that, Kim got tired for no apparent reason. Maybe it was the fresh air that did it to her. She fell asleep rather quickly.

At first I didn't notice that Kim had dropped off, but then I glanced over and saw her lying sideways on the bench. I guess I was tired as well. It wasn't long before I finally succumbed and joined her in a snooze.

Neither Kim nor myself expected the subsequent happenings. Was it destiny? I still don't know. But one thing's for sure: it was something we would probably never forget.

-

And just about everyone who's read the first story should know what THAT is. Not that you shouldn't tune in for the next chapter anyway. 


	2. Population: I Don't Know

Red and Purple

Author's note: Here it is, the second chapter. I'm getting a little lazy about this, though.

-

Segment 1: A Whole New World

Chapter 2: Population: I Don't Know

-

(Leo)

I don't know how long we were asleep, and I don't remember what our dreams were. That information was unimportant compared to what happened when we woke up, so I don't remember it.

A major case of deja vu went through me as I woke. Instead of the hard, wooden bench we had been lying on earlier, we were on a bed of sand. How we had relocated, neither of us knew. We didn't even know where we were, though I had a hunch.

Kim had already woken up, and she looked around. "Toto," she finally said, "I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." (Kim is a fan of classic movies.)

Joining Kim's side, I surveyed the landscape, and quickly recognized the familiar-looking town that lay before us. "Kim," I began, "welcome to Emerald Town. Population: I don't know." I laughed a little.

It just wouldn't be Kim if she didn't join in laughing. "This looks like a pretty nice place. I must admit, I always imagined it a little differently. Tails' lab must be that big building over there, and- OH, HOW CUTE!"

Looking over at what Kim had spotted, I saw a lone fox wandering out of the bushes. I've been living with Kim for a while, so I knew that Kim was going to rush over and try to pet it.

In a flash, I remembered what Tails had said about people who had just arrived here. If Kim were to touch that fox, her body would change!

I got up. "Kim! Wait! I need to tell you something!"

Kim didn't listen to me, so I ran after her. I tried to push her hand away as she reached down to pet the fox, but she pushed me back. As a result, I lost my balance, and happened to make contact with the fox's body _at the exact same time_ that she did.

The two of us were knocked down by the resulting reaction. For a moment, we were lying on our backs, not moving at all. Kim and I sat up at roughly the same time, and glanced at each other.

"Whoa!" I yelped as I noticed Kim's new look. I was only able to look at her from the neck up, but that was sufficient. Kim now had a sleek fox body, complete with fur of a deep purple color and large fox ears.

Before I could point this out to Kim, she pointed out that I had a fox body, too. Mine, though, was red, the same color as when I'd last been to Emerald Town. That bit Tails had told me about "personality colors" was true, apparently.

Kim looked down, and promptly shrieked. "Aiyeee! I've- I've got no clothes! I've gotta find a tailor! Wait here, Leo- I've gotta go!"

I didn't even have a chance to speak before Kim got up and ran into town. The trip would've been more successful, but suddenly I was yanked from my spot by apparently nothing, and slammed into Kim with a CRASH!

For a few seconds more, Kim and I lay on the ground in a heap. Hearing the telltale sound of giggling, I picked myself up for the third time in a row and found its source. Tails had been watching the whole thing.

I reached out and slapped Tails. "Tails! This is a personal matter!"

Tails stopped giggling immediately while Kim hid behind me. "Oh, sorry. You don't see this often. Who's the girl fox?"

Kim peeked over my shoulder. "I'm- I'm Kim. My older brother, Leo, told me about this place."

"Yes," I concurred. "And I'm Leo. The same Leo who was here the other day. I'm glad to be back again, though Kim seems a little nervous. I think she needs some clothes."

"It's not as much that," Kim interjected, "as- well, you're Tails, right? Just looking at you makes me feel dizzy. I mean, what's stranger than a single fox with a double tail?"

"A married fox with a double tail?" I suggested.

"Actually," Tails interrupted, "how about a double fox with a single tail?"

I laughed out loud. "Good joke, Tails."

"Who's joking?" Tails shot back. "Look down."

Well, I looked down, and ran my hand over my own fox tail. It was red as it widened, then it turned white as it neared its widest point. After that, it began to narrow, went from white to purple, and affixed with Kim's behind. Our new fox bodies had a common tail!

Kim and I were speechless. "Of course," I figured. "Since we both touched that fox at the same time, not only did we both get fox bodies, but they wound up with a 'glitch'. Amazing! A little inconvenient, though."

"Eh, don't worry about it," Tails assured us. "Kim, I know a good tailor's shop where you can get some clothes. Don't worry, I'll pay for everything."

"Oh, thank you!" Kim cheered. "Leo, maybe you'd better come along."

It wasn't like I had any choice in the matter, so the three of us left together.

-

Yeah, eh, you can see where this is going, right? 


	3. Around the Town

Red and Purple

Author's note: Ah, Deltoran Merchant showed up. Now all I need is NS, and my original trifecta of reviewers will be here. Next chapter.

-

Segment 1: A Whole New World

Chapter 3: Around the Town

-

(Kim)

I think this was one of the most awkward moments of my life. I bet you've never been stuck in an anthra-whatever fox body, attached by your tail to your older brother, and without any clothes whatsoever. Take my word for it, it wasn't pleasant.

The tailor, as it turns out, was a pretty friendly sort. He took measurements of me, as Leo and Tails stood pat, and soon had two dresses ready for me that fit perfectly. They were even specially cut to allow my, well, our tail to pass through unhindered.

"Nice job," I finally said as I wore the blue dress. "It fits as if it was made just for me."

"It WAS made just for you," Leo reminded me.

Just like he'd promised, Tails paid for the dresses, and a nice handbag to go with them, and then got Leo and me each a pair of gloves and laceless sneakers. They were a nice fit, just like the dresses.

Around then, I realized that Tails wasn't wearing any clothes other than his own gloves and sneakers. I was about to question him about it, but Leo stopped me. "You get used to it," he assured me. "Trust me."

I decided to take his word for it. To make up for the inconvenience of having to sit there while the tailor measured me for my clothes, Tails entered another store and bought him an official Fox Scouts Adventurer's Kit.

Leo and I looked through the Fox Scout backpack together. Among other things, it contained a map of Emerald County (the area surrounding Emerald Town), a compass, a pair of binoculars, a flashlight, and an official Fox Scout Survival Handbook.

"You know, I was a Fox Scout when I was younger," Tails explained. "Some of that stuff could be useful to you."

"I bet," Leo responded. "Come on, Kim, I'll show you around the town. There are a few places that even I haven't been yet."

That sounded good, so we began to look around. Once I had some decent clothes, I got used to my new body rather quickly. In fact, I didn't even mind being "tailed" to Leo.

Our first stop was Tails' lab. It was a wondrous arrangement of all kinds of technical things. Tails was just finished talking to two figures which Leo recognized as Sonic and Amy.

"Wow, Tails," I finally said as I looked around, "you do some pretty advanced stuff."

"Thank you," Tails replied, bowing. "When Leo was here before, he wasn't as impressed as you are."

Saying this, Tails glanced up at a framed picture on the wall. It depicted a red birdlike figure in some kind of flashy pose, standing on something that looked like a pedestal.

I glanced at Leo. "That you?"

"That's right," Leo explained.

"Oh. Hm, I always imagined you a little differently. I figured your beak was a little larger."

"Well, eh, I guess I can understand that."

After we left Tails' lab, Leo pointed out the TV store. There was a news broadcast going on.

The newscaster, a female grey cat figure, was practically filled with zeal. "This is Kitty O'Brien, your favorite newscaster, here with the evening news. Dr. Eggman has just been sent to the local jail, and you can see the wagon pulling up behind me right now."

Leo laughed out loud. "So the doc finally got his just desserts. I'm glad of it. You know how much trouble he caused me when I was last here."

I smirked. "I bet, Leo. Come on, let's-"

"Wait a minute, Kim. The broadcast isn't over yet. I want to watch it straight through."

"You don't have a crush on Kitty, do you?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Kim. Why would I have a crush on her? We aren't even the same species!"

After I was able to tear Leo away from the television set, we approached the town park. As Leo explained, this was where he had been interviewed with the rest of the "cast" when he'd last been here.

One large tree stood in the corner of the park. One particularly large branch hung a few feet higher than our heads. As we looked at it, a smirk appeared on Leo's face. It looked like he had an idea.

I could never have been ready for what Leo did next. He grabbed our common tail and began to swing me around like a gymnast's hammer. When he had enough speed, he let go, sending me hurtling directly at the tree branch.

Even though I was terribly dizzy, I retained enough composure to grab on to the branch. "Leo," I yelled down, "how in the world did you come up with such a crazy maneuver?"

Leo only shrugged. "I saw something like that on TV. Now climb down on the other side of the branch!"

Despite how odd it sounded, I complied, and as I went down, he went up. When we were at the same level, he stopped me. We were now dangling from the branch by our common tail like some kind of odd holiday decoration.

"Thanks a lot, Leo," I growled. "What did you do that for?"

"I just wanted to test the strength and durability of our common tail," Leo responded off-handedly. "Looks like this 'glitch' is going to come in handy."

At that moment, Amy approached us. "Hi, Leo. Hi, Kim. What are you doing, hanging around here?"

Just when I was about to yell out a snappy comeback in response, the branch broke, and Leo and I were dumped on the ground. Well, on Amy. I guess it was both fortunate and unfortunate that Amy was standing in just the spot where we were going to land.

"Aheh, sorry about that, Amy," Leo said as soon as the three of us were standing again.

"No harm done," Amy assured us. "Sonic himself has done worse to me. You two might need a place to stay for the night; it's getting a little late."

I glanced at Amy. "Really? What time is it?"

"Nearly six," Amy explained. "I know of a pretty good hotel I can book you into. It's right near here. Don't worry, I'll have all the expenses charged to my account."

The hotel was called the Blue Diamond, and as it turned out, it was a pretty nice place. Amy spoke to the front desk clerk for a while, and then returned to us with a room key marked "208".

Room 208, as it turned out, was pretty nice. It had a double bed and all the generic hotel room fixings. The two of us began to kick back and relax.

We were at the hotel for the rest of the evening. When we finally went to bed, the two of us were quite used to being in Emerald Town. What we didn't know was that the next day, it was all going to be ruined.

-

END OF SEGMENT

Yes, I'll end the segment now. I'm spacing the segments by plot, not by length. Expect the other segments to be longer. 


	4. Segment 1 Summary

Red and Purple

Author's note: You're a Taurus, Deltoran? I'm a Gemini myself. My birth year, 1989, identifies me as a Snake. But you probably aren't interested in that astrological mumbo-jumbo. Now!

-

Segment 1: A Whole New World

Summary of Events

-

Leo and Kim went through a hectic evening, didn't they? Let's look back and make sure we saw everything.

The whole episode started when those two fell asleep in their front yard, only to wake up on the beach of Emerald Town. Kim saw a fox wander out of the bushes and rushed to pet it.

From his past trip here, Leo knew that should Kim contact that fox, she would be transformed. He tried to stop her, but only ended up with the same fate.

Before they knew it, Leo and Kim had fox bodies, and more importantly, they had ended up with a common tail. Evidently there had been a glitch somewhere. Tails, who had been watching the whole thing, had a good laugh about it.

Once they got some decent clothes, Leo and Kim explored Emerald Town a little. After they saw a news story of Dr. Eggman's arrest (and Kim accused Leo of having a crush on the newscaster), they had a run-in with Amy Rose.

Amy was rather kind, and found them a place to stay for the night and however many other nights they would be there: the Blue Diamond Hotel. It was quite nice, and it didn't take long for them to get to sleep.

So what does the future hold for them? Will Dr. Eggman break out of jail? Will a new threat attack Emerald County? Will Leo confess to having a crush on Kitty O'Brien?

I'm afraid I can't give you the answers to those questions. You're going to have to find them out for yourself!

-

I think that summary turned out a little TOO short. 


	5. A little like a what?

Red and Purple

Author's note: I've been stalling long enough. Time to begin Segment 2!

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Segment 2: The Trouble Starts

Chapter 1: A little like a what?

-

(Leo)

Kim and I slept in the following morning. We didn't wake up until nine at least. When I woke up, I saw that Kim had snuggled up against me in her sleep; how cute!

After we got ourselves ready for the day ahead, the phone rang. I answered it. "Hello?"

On the other end of the line was a rather alarmed Amy Rose. "Leo! Kim! Tails needs to speak to you immediately. He's at his lab; Sonic and I are already there. Please hurry!"

I nodded. "We'll be there right away, Amy."

Hanging up the phone, I told Kim the situation, and we almost knocked a maid down as we rushed down the stairs.

The entrance to Tails' lab flew open as we entered. Amy and Tails were in plain view, but I didn't see Sonic. "Tails, Amy," I asked, "we came as fast as I could. Is something wrong?"

"I'll say," Tails explained. "Last night, Emerald Town was attacked by a horde of demonlike creatures."

"And is Dr. Eggman to blame?" I asked casually.

"For once, no. He's been in jail the whole time. Sonic and I were able to repel them, but I think they plan to come back."

"You look okay to me," Kim pointed out.

"Sure, I'm okay," Tails shot back, "but look at Sonic!"

At that moment, Sonic emerged from behind a doorway. Kim and I were both speechless upon seeing him. Half his body was covered in bandages, his leg was in a cast, and he was in a wheelchair. The room was in silence for a moment.

"My goodness," Kim finally mentioned, "if the demons got you that hard, they must've been something!"

"You're not kidding," Sonic explained. "I was really beat up. There were a lot of them, too."

"What worries me the most," Tails added, "is that they've already established positions throughout Emerald County. Leo, I know this is a bit much to ask of you, but could you and your sister drive away the demons for me? Sonic and I can't do much in our condition."

I was filled with confidence. "Tails, we'll do it."

Kim looked at me. "We will? Leo, I'm not sure this is…"

"You said it yourself, Kim," I explained. "You always wanted to go on an adventure like the one I went on the last time I was here. This is our chance. Come with me, Kim. Those demons are no match for us."

Tails laughed. "Glad you feel that way. Here, take this."

With those words, Tails took something off the table and gave it to me. "If you need help, just use this wristwatch communicator to contact me. The nearest demon settlement, according to my analysis, is in Verdant Woods, due west of here. I'd suggest you start there."

I nodded. "The whole thing sounds a little like a Zelda game, but okay, we'll do it!"

"A little like a what?"

"Nothing. Forget I said anything. You wouldn't understand."

All five of us (Sonic, Tails, Amy, Kim, and myself) laughed a little as I applied the wristwatch communicator to my wrist. "Come on, Kim."

Once we were outside, I withdrew the map of Emerald County from my backpack and quickly located Verdant Woods. "Here's the place. Kim, we've got some demons to eradicate!"

Kim seemed a little mystified. "Gee, Leo, you seem awfully confident. Didn't you see what those demon-things did to Sonic?"

"I did," I explained, "but the confidence kinda comes naturally. I just live for this kind of thing."

"Well, if you say so. Let's go."

-

That's the chapter. More to come! 


	6. Verdant Woods

Red and Purple

Author's note: Now I've got both "Red and Purple" and "Hedgehog and Bat" in progress. I'll try to give them equal priorities. Onward!

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Segment 2: The Trouble Starts

Chapter 2: Verdant Woods

-

(Kim)

The air was crisp, the scenery was beautiful, and Verdant Woods was a masterpiece of nature. The trees were plentiful enough to be pleasant, but not so plentiful as to get in the way. Leo and I strolled along together.

"This place looks like it's hardly been touched," I mentioned. "Hard to believe that the demons have been here."

Leo nodded. "Maybe they're just trying to keep their settlement secret. Let's keep a sharp eye out for anything unexpected."

Before I could respond, the both of us were floored. Evidently we had walked on either side of a tree without realizing it, and our common tail had disagreed with our choice.

"This is going to take a little getting used to," I muttered.

At that moment, we both realized that someone was laughing at us. We were not alone in the forest.

Leo and I both took fighting poses. "Show yourself!" Leo commanded.

The figure showed himself, and as it turned out, he was a green fox figure somewhat older than we were. He was carrying a hunter's bow, and a quiver of arrows was strapped to his back.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry," he said, ceasing his laughter. "My name's Foxwood. What are a couple of nunchucks like you two doing this deep in the woods?"

"I'm Leo," Leo introduced himself, "and my sister there is Kim."

"Pleased to meet you," I added. "We're looking for some demons. You seen anything of the sort?"

"You mean like those creatures that were here last night?" Foxwood confirmed. "Some demonish creatures cut through the forest on their way to Emerald Town. I just stayed in the trees and picked a few off with my arrows. Haven't seen any since then, though."

I found this a little curious. "Are you sure? You haven't seen anything that might suggest a demon settlement?"

Foxwood just shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry, but- Oh, wait a minute! I did see some odd black crystal ball in a cave north of here. I didn't dare touch it, but it reeked of dark energy. I can take you there, if you think you can handle it."

"We can handle it, no problem," Leo responded. I envied his persistent courage.

"You sure?" Foxwood responded. "I wouldn't be reckless if I were you. Why don't you show me just what you can do? I'd rather not give you anything you're not prepared for."

Leo just laughed. "Just bring it on!"

In response, Foxwood drew an arrow from his quiver and aimed it directly at me. I barely had any time to think before he shot it, and I might've been hurt seriously had Leo not yanked me out of the way by our common tail in the nick of time.

I panted. "Thanks, Leo."

"Don't mention it," Leo replied. "Let's take it to the offensive now!"

"All right, but let me be the pivot this time, okay?"

The both of us were hiding behind the same tree we'd gotten snagged on earlier. Leo stood behind me at a sufficient distance for our common tail to be almost taut, and I reached back and grabbed it.

After a short pause, I used a forward motion to whip Leo forward. He grabbed a tree branch and pulled himself up, so that I was hanging down. Foxwood tried to nail me with another arrow, but my erratic swinging motion made it difficult.

Foxwood looked up. "Eh? Now what kind of funny trick is that?"

"There's nothing funny about it," Leo shot back. "Take this!"

As I swung back and forth, Leo suddenly lowered himself back down and let go while I was on a forward swing. We shot forward together, and I was able to lay a flying kick down on Foxwood's head, knocking him to the ground just as he was about to shoot another arrow.

"Good work, Kim," Leo told me once we were done. "You're catching on pretty quickly."

"Like you said, it comes naturally," I reassured my older brother. "It just takes a little longer for me than it does for you."

Around then, Foxwood got to his feet. "Wow, you two, you're pretty good. With that kind of skill, you just might stand a chance. Here, I'll show you where the crystal ball is."

"Please do," I requested. I don't know how that courage built up in me so quickly; maybe I've got more courage than I think I do.

-

That's the end of it. See you next chapter! 


	7. Demonic Darkness

Red and Purple

Author's note: This story is a little more popular than "Hedgehog and Bat" is, so I can't ignore it. Next chapter!

-

Segment 2: The Trouble Starts

Chapter 3: Demonic Darkness

-

(Kim)

"This is the cave, just ahead," Foxwood explained as he led us to a cave opening. I could barely make out something glimmering inside. The cave's interior was dark, so it was hard to tell.

"Sounds like an adventure just waiting to happen," Leo declared, his courage escalating to the point where it became a little scary.

As we entered the cave, Leo drew the Fox Scouts flashlight from his backpack and shone it around. Its simple light brought a little illumination to the interior of the cave, making it easier to see what was ahead.

For the most part, however, the cave was still dark. I was constantly fearful that I might trip over a stalagmite or hit my head on a stalactite or maybe step in a puddle. Somehow, though, I never did; my footing was always safe and secure.

At the end of the tunnel, Leo and I found an odd crystal-looking thing mounted on a pedestal. Its glow was somehow hypnotizing, and you could tell just by looking at it that there was a massive mount of evil contained in it.

We both stared at the crystal for a moment before Leo held his flashlight in one hand while raising his other hand to touch it. "Careful, Leo," I interjected, "you don't even know what you're doing!"

Not paying attention, Leo touched the crystal. The instant he did, it shone with a brilliant light, and both of us were sucked _into_ the thing and down some sort of vortex.

Being in that vortex was like being in space. Leo and I were practically weightless, and remained in free-fall as the warped space passed around us.

After a moment, the two of us had a rather rough landing on a grassy surface. It looked like we were back in Verdant Woods; this looked just like the area outside the cave, only it seemed haunted, and the sky was nightish.

"What in the world is this?" Leo wondered out loud.

Before I could say anything in response, an arrow zipped out of the brush from behind us, narrowly missing Leo's shoulder. Examining the arrow, I realized that it was marked "F.W."

It didn't take a genius to figure that "F.W." stood for Foxwood, and that's who came out to retrieve the arrow and confront us. "Hello," he greeted us. He looked different somehow; in fact, he seemed a little evil.

Leo blinked. "Oh, hi, Foxwood. Man, this forest looks a little creepy. Did that crystal-thing do this?"

"Not exactly," Foxwood explained. "The area you are standing in is not the 'true' Verdant Woods, but rather a demonic replica of it. And I am not the true Foxwood; actually, I am a demonic clone of him."

"Well, for a demon," I commented, "you sure are polite."

"I can't help it," the demonic Foxwood countered. "Being crafted from Foxwood's mold, I can't help but slightly adhere to his personality. But enough! If you plan to meddle with what we demons have in store for your Emerald County, I'm afraid I'm going to have to whack you a little."

"Whack THIS!" Leo shouted, lunging at the demonic Foxwood with a powerful-looking kick. I had to mimic his lunge so I wouldn't get yanked off my feet.

Not one to be easily fooled, D-Foxwood (I hope you don't mind that abbreviation) blocked Leo's kick with something that looked like an old-fashioned quarter staff. It may have been old-fashioned, but it was surprisingly effective.

"Very clever," Leo sneered as he recovered. "But that was only the beginning. Kim! Help me out here!"

I knew what that meant. This time, Leo used our common tail to whip me forward, and I delivered a forward kick right toward D-Foxwood's head. He tried to block it with his quarter staff again, but- SNAP!- the impact caused it to break in half.

"Quarter staff broke in half," I joked. "I guess each piece is worth twelve and a half cents now. So what are you going to do now?"

D-Foxwood pulled out his bow and arrows and tried to shoot us from afar, but it was rather difficult to aim efficiently at such close range. Leo grabbed D-Foxwood's bow and pulled it out of his hands, causing him to accidentally hit a tree branch with an arrow.

Of all the rotten luck! When the branch fell, it landed right on our common tail, trapping us for a moment. That moment was sufficient for D-Foxwood to escape while we lifted the branch out of the way.

"Drat!" Leo muttered. "Now what'll we do?"

As Leo let out his anger, I spotted something glimmering on the ground. Picking it up, I examined it. It resembled a Chaos Emerald from Leo's description of them, but it looked rather dark, just like the crystal that had brought us here.

"Hey, Leo," I interrupted my older brother, "what do you think this is?"

Leo took it and turned it over in his hands. "I can't say I know. It looks like a Chaos Emerald, but it's filled with dark energy. Maybe Tails knows what it is. Let's go show it to him."

"All right… but how do we get back?"

Instead of answering my question verbally, Leo practically pulled me into the nearby cave. He apparently suspected that there would be another, similar crystal in the same location as the first one that would take us back.

Amazingly, he was right. A crystal that was precisely the same shape as the first one, but glowed with light instead of darkness, rested on an identical pedestal in the center of the room. Its glow was mesmerizing, and I had to pause to stare at it.

Leo was not as patient as I was. He rushed up and grabbed the crystal, causing it to glow and- once again- suck both of us through the vortex we'd been through just minutes before.

-

I think I have a couple critics who'll hate this chapter. I haven't quite figured out why, though. 


	8. 1st Black Emerald

Red and Purple

Author's note: I'm going to update this one more often than "Hedgehog and Bat", because I expect this to be longer than that. Still, nobody seems to be paying attention to that story. Ah well.

-

Segment 2: The Trouble Starts

Chapter 4: 1st Black Emerald

-

(Leo)

Upon landing, Kim and I looked around to make sure we were back in the "good" Verdant Woods. Kim seemed quite relieved to be back in one piece.

Foxwood was there to greet us. "So, Leo, Kim, you're safe. Anything happen in there?"

Kim and I explained the whole thing. "You're kidding!" Foxwood remarked. "Do you expect me to believe that those demons have set up an alternate version of this forest in that crystal?"

Smirking, I displayed the dark Emerald we'd picked up. Foxwood was stunned. "Such dark power… I can feel it from here… I'd hate for that thing to fall into the wrong hands."

Kim nodded. "Don't worry, we'll keep it safe. Come on, Leo, let's go back to Tails'- hey, what's happening to the crystal?"

I turned my attention to the crystal that had warped us into the dark Verdant Woods. The absence of the Black Emerald, apparently, had caused it to lose its energy, and it vibrated and shattered all over the immediate vicinity.

"Aha, so that takes care of that," I commented. "Let's get out of here."

-

Tails opened the door when we knocked. "Leo? Kim? That you?"

"That's us," Kim confirmed. "We brought back something."

"Yes," I explained, displaying the dark Emerald we'd recovered. "An odd crystal served as the gateway to a demonic world where we found this thing. You can just feel the evil energy radiate from it, can't you?"

Seeming in awe about the Emerald, Tails snatched it from our hands. "Leo! Kim! This is a Black Emerald, the demons' power source. There are a total of seven of them. You must find the other six as quickly as possible; who knows what might happen!"

Saying this, Tails placed the Emerald in an empty safe and locked it. "I'll keep it here at the lab. If you carry it around, the demons might steal it from you, and then who knows what'll happen."

I was a little uneasy about this, but I nodded. "All right, Tails. I guess we can trust you. Do you know where the other demon settlements are?"

"Yes, I do," Tails explained. "My radar equipment is second to none. Give me your map, please."

Tails took the map and made several marks on it. Looking at it, we counted six in total. "Looks like they're all over the place," Kim commented. "Leo, are you sure we should go through with this?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Kim," I assured my younger sister. "Those demons are no match for you and me. Those other six Black Emeralds are as good as ours."

"That's the spirit, Leo," Tails cheered. "The entire world is at stake, but take your time. Don't push yourself too hard, but be sure to get the job done."

I smirked. "Thanks, Tails"

Around then, I realized that Sonic was no longer present. "Tails," I asked, "where's Sonic?"

"His condition got serious," Tails explained, "so I dropped him off at the hospital. Visiting him is a waste of time, though; he can't be disturbed under any circumstances. That's how serious it is."

Kim nodded. "I can understand that. We had better tell Amy."

-

"This is Amy's apartment," Kim confirmed, looking at the number. "Let's speak to her."

I knocked on the door. "Come in, it's not locked," Amy called out from behind it.

As we entered, I saw that Amy was listening to the radio. "Hi, Amy," I greeted her. "What's that you're listening to?"

"It's called a radio," Amy responded without blinking.

That made me laugh a little. "I'm listening to music to try to get my mind off Sonic," Amy continued. "This is 'That's The Combination' by the Nocturnal Triad. Twilight the Wolf sings, Eclipse the Bat pounds the drums, and Night the Panther plays the guitar for a rock-music masterpiece."

Now I was interested. "Tell us more."

"By day, the Nocturnal Triad plays on the radio, but by night, they go live at night clubs. 'That's the Combination' is the Nocturnal Triad's latest hit. The lyrics are just amazing, and exactly what they mean has been a mystery. Listen for a little."

Kim and I listened. The lyrics, I do admit, were a little mesmerizing. "You go left five steps, right eight / Not too early, not too late / And don't lose to desperation / You go left six steps, right ten / Now prepare to go again / Oh yeah, that's the combination!"

The music continued. "Ooh, that's the combination, kid / The only way to open the safe / Is by dancing like I did / You go left five steps, right eight / Like it's something that you ate / It's a singing, dancing nation / You go left six steps, right ten…"

We listened to the song right through to the end. Then, the singer spoke up again. "That was our latest hit, 'That's the Combination'. Our next song is dedicated to my cousin, Skyler, wherever he is today. Ladies and gentlemen, we bring you 'Into the Clouds'!"

Noticing a possible double entendre, Kim smirked. I was already smirking, having heard a familiar name.

"But enough about me," Amy interrupted, turning off the radio. "What have you been up to?"

I explained everything to Amy, who was in shock. "What? Sonic's in the hospital? How terrible! I have to go over and… no, no, Amy, fight it. Sonic shouldn't be disturbed, and he'll be out in due time. Just keep yourself busy."

"Let's leave Amy to her own self-control issues," Kim decided. "I'm famished. Let's find someplace to eat."

I nodded. "Yeah, now that you mention it, the last time I was here, I never did eat anything. Let's find a diner or something."

-

END OF SEGMENT

That's two segments down. What comes next? 


	9. Segment 2 Summary

Red and Purple

Author's note: I've got no homework this weekend, so I've got a LOT of time on my hands. So here!

* * *

Segment 2: The Trouble Starts

Summary of Events

* * *

What a crazy morning! After waking up, Leo and Kim learned that Emerald County had been attacked by demons. Sonic and Tails had held back the assault on Emerald Town, but Sonic would up badly injured.

Volunteering to eradicate the demon settlements, Leo and Kim hiked to Verdant Woods, the site of the nearest one. There, they met Foxwood, a Robin Hoodish character with plenty of skill with his bow and arrows.

Leo and Kim gave Foxwood a show of force, using their common tail to full advantage, and afterwards Foxwood agreed to show them an odd dark crystal which was obviously related to the demons somehow.

As it turned out, the crystal was a gateway to a dark version of Verdant Woods, created by the demons to reside in. (Think of Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and you'll understand what I'm talking about.)

Upon entry, Leo and Kim were attacked by a demonic clone of Foxwood. They almost won the battle, but the demonic Foxwood fled before the KO, dropping a mysterious dark gem.

According to Tails, the gem was a Black Emerald, a negative version of the Chaos Emeralds. While Leo and Kim were out, Tails had taken Sonic to the hospital, so the siblings went to tell Amy the news.

Amy was listening to music to occupy her mind. The tune in question was "That's the Combination", by the rock band known as The Nocturnal Triad. Twilight the Wolf sang, Eclipse the Bat drummed, and Night the Panther… uh… guitarred.

After that, Leo and Kim left to get some lunch. But what secrets do the Black Emeralds hold? When and how will the demons fall, if they even do? And will Foxwood show his face again later?

You know, I have a feeling the Nocturnal Triad will be important later in the story. The lyrics to that song they sang sure seemed interesting…

Ah, I'm just talking nonsense.

* * *

Yes, another summary. Please don't hurt me, Deltoran. Oh, and the fourth chapter to "Hedgehog and Bat" is up, if you guys care. 


	10. A New Direction

Red and Purple

Author's note: Actually, I'm not a big music person, so I can't identify either of the songs Sk27 mentioned. Oh, well. Next segment!

* * *

Segment 3: Echidna Not

Chapter 1: A New Direction

* * *

(Leo)

Lunch was pretty filling, actually. The two of us ate some sandwiches at a local diner, and were able to charge the meal to Amy's account to boot. I don't think she's found out yet.

After eating, Kim put the map on the table and pointed out the marks Tails had made. "Which one do you think we should go to first?" she asked me.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Doesn't make much difference to me. Do you have any opinions, Kim?"

"This one looks good to me," Kim decided, pointing at one of the marks. According to the map, and the "Tourist's Guide" printed on the back, this was Echidna Fields, a curious arrangement of ruins due north of Emerald Town.

"Sounds interesting," I decided. "It's settled, then. We go to Echidna Fields next. Come on, let's tell Tails what we're doing."

* * *

"Echidna Fields?" Tails repeated once we'd told him the news.

"That's right, Echidna Fields," Kim confirmed. "It's right here on the map. Does that sound ideal?"

Tails nodded after a pause. "Yeah, I think that would be a good choice for your next destination. Good luck finding that next Black Emerald."

It was then that something occurred to me. "Say, Tails… speaking of Emeralds, what happened to those Chaos Emerald things? You know what I'm talking about, right?"

"Oh, yes, the Chaos Emeralds," Tails confirmed. "Don't worry, I've got them stored in this lab."

Kim's heart must have skipped about six beats. "You have them here? All seven of them?"

Nodding, Tails displayed a large chest, even stronger and harder to crack than the one he'd put the Black Emerald in. He unlocked it, and inside were the Chaos Emeralds, all in a heap.

Before we could get a closer look, Tails slammed the lid shut. "I can't allow the gems out of this chest for any reason now that the demons are out and about," Tails explained. "If the demons got even one of them, disaster would strike!"

"I bet," I commented. "Don't worry, we'll get those Black Emeralds for you! Those demons don't stand a chance!"

Kim glanced at me as if I were a bit loco, and I might have been, but either way, we began to leave the lab.

As we were on our way out the door, I noticed a familiar-looking deactivated robot in the corner. It was painted a few different colors, but mostly red. Recognizing it, I pointed it out to Kim, who laughed a little as she recognized it as well.

"What's so funny?" Tails yelled from across the room. We didn't respond.

* * *

Amy was waiting just outside. "Hi, Leo, Kim," she greeted us. "Where are you going?"

"Hey," Kim responded, displaying our map. "We were just headed for Echidna Fields."

"Echidna Fields?" Amy confirmed, apparently recognizing the name. "If you're going there, be sure to say hi to Knuckles. You'll know him when you see him. He's red, and there's a white crescent on his chest. He's also got a bit of a short temper, so be careful."

I gave Amy a ten-four signal. "All right, Amy, we'll do that. Anything else we should know?"

"Er, yes," Amy explained. "Knuckles… it's his job to guard something called the Master Emerald. You'll know it when you see it. Trust me."

"All right. What's the fastest way there?"

"Just go north that way and follow the trail," Amy told us, pointing. This sounded good, so we left in that direction.

* * *

Damn, I need to write longer chapters. What is wrong with me? 


	11. Meet Knuckles

Red and Purple

Author's note: Whoo, four-day weekend. Plenty of time to do nothing. Here's some of it.

* * *

Segment 3: Echidna Not

Chapter 2: Meet Knuckles

* * *

(Leo)

The trail Amy pointed out was rather beautiful. Examining the ground, I found that the trail was lined with round, smooth stones. On either side, tall green grass bordered the trail. It was almost enough to make us forget the Black Emeralds.

"Don't you think it's a peaceful afternoon?" Kim asked me.

"Yes," I replied, kind of caught up in the moment, "very peaceful. I'd hate for those demons to wreck this place."

Around then, we reached a sign in the road that looked like it had been erected a few months ago. It said:

* * *

**WELCOME TO ECHIDNA FIELDS**

* * *

"This is the place," I figured. "Come on, Kim. Let's look around."

* * *

Echidna Fields was a somewhat ruinous place, the kind of place you'd expect to be closed off as a tourist attraction. Yet somehow, the ruins were untouched, with practically no sign of visitors.

I was practically in awe about the place. "Just look at this place, Kim. So many ruins. This place must have history dating back a hundred years."

"Two hundred years," Kim argued.

"Maybe it's three hundred," I topped.

We went back and forth a while until a loud voice interrupted us. "Would you two shut up!"

Kim and I both looked to see who'd spoken. A strong, mean-looking echidna figure stood with his arms folded. Looking close at him, I noticed that he was wearing mittens, or something looking much like them, and his knuckles were spiked.

There was no question about it: this was the Knuckles character that Amy had mentioned. He even had the defining feature: a chalk-white crescent mark on his chest.

"You two have a good reason for coming here, I hope," Knuckles mentioned, "because if you don't, I'll punch your heads off!"

Kim seemed scared, but I stood my ground. "We do have a good reason. We are looking for demon settlements, and we heard there was one here in Echidna Fields."

"Demons?" Knuckles repeated. "Oh, sure, I know what you're talking about. Let me talk to you a little."

Knuckles approached a large green gem that bore a resemblance to a giant Chaos Emerald. This was no doubt the Master Emerald. It resonated with mystical energy.

"The demons you speak of are powerful in numbers," Knuckles began, "but single them out and take them on one by one, and they fall pretty quickly. That's how I cleared out a few demons when they came here last night."

Not wishing to stop there, Knuckles continued. "If you go into one of those demon settlements, though, chances are you might not come out. The 'settlements' are actually dark versions of this world, constructed to parallel it."

"The entrances to the demon settlements are in the form of crystal balls. Touching one is enough to enter. I saw one elsewhere in these fields. But you two are so weak-looking, you wouldn't stand a chance if you went in there."

Hearing this, Kim lost her temper. "Weak-looking? Wouldn't stand a chance? You couldn't judge good fighting skill if you were a referee at a boxing match!" (How can a girl be so scared, and immediately be so angry?)

That was sufficient for Knuckles to get worked up enough to throw a strong punch right at us. Kim and I dodged in opposite directions, and Knuckles' fist went right between us.

Knuckles is his own worst enemy, it seems, and the force of his own punch caused him to lose his balance and fall forward. When I saw him land right on top of our common tail, I signaled for Kim to mirror my actions.

Getting down on my hands and knees, I took my end of our common tail in one hand, positioned it correctly, and on the count of three, Kim and I both slung Knuckles up into the air.

Wham! Knuckles collided with a tree standing not far away. He was even madder now. Instead of attacking again, though, he began to burrow into the ground.

"Huh?" I heard Kim say aloud, and I had to agree. Knuckles' intentions became apparent, however, when he suddenly popped up under us and nailed Kim with an uppercut, throwing her- and me!- several feet into the air.

As a follow-up, Knuckles prepared to uppercut Kim again, but I pulled her out of the way, and the echidna connected with empty air. When we landed, Kim slung me forward to kick Knuckles in the chest, which I did perfectly.

"All right, so maybe you're a good pair of fighters after all," Knuckles admitted. "I yield. You'll probably stand a chance against those demons. The settlement entrance is…"

* * *

Yes, yes, this is turning out just like the last segment, but there'll be a twist in the next chapter. I promise! 


	12. The Settlement

Red and Purple

* * *

Author's note: Man, that Deltoran Merchant sure knows how to ridicule a guy. Usually I like the attention, but that latest review upset me for some reason. Anyway. Next chapter!

* * *

Segment 3: Echidna Not

Chapter 3: The Settlement

* * *

(Leo)

Knuckles approached a large stone slab lying on the ground. Kim and I together would barely have been able to move the thing ourselves, but Knuckles pushed it aside practically effortlessly. I envied his strength.

Below the slab, a staircase led down. "It's in there," Knuckles explained. "The demons don't like light, so they put their settlements in dark places."

"That'd make sense," I figured. "Let's go, Kim."

The staircase led down to the bottom of the cave, which was obviously rather dark, despite the light shining down from the entrance. Out of habit, I tried to shoot a Light Feather, but ended up looking rather stupid. I heard Kim giggle.

"I think the crystal ball is just ahead," Kim said once she was done laughing. "I can feel a bit of dark energy. It's kind of spooky, actually."

Now that I thought about it, I felt it too. I have to admit, it scared me a bit as well, but I didn't show it. Instead, I approached the source of the darkness: another crystal ball.

"This is it," I announced. "I'll do the honors."

Those words said, I lifted my hand, brought it forward, and placed it on the surface of the crystal ball. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then, the crystal ball started acting up, and just as before, Kim and I were sucked into it.

Our landing was a bit smoother than it had been last time, but we still landed a bit roughly. Looking around, we confirmed our location as a dark version of Echidna Fields. The sky was in twilight, and the general area looked deserted.

Kim came up with the idea of visiting the Master Emerald shrine, and we quickly located it. Some character who looked like Knuckles was sitting in front of the shrine, glancing intently at where the Master Emerald was supposed to be mounted.

I clapped my hands, attracting the attention of what was obviously D-Knuckles. He jumped to his feet with a start and faced the both of us. "Who goes there?" he demanded to know.

After a short silence, I stepped forward. "I am Leo. Next to me is my sister, Kim. I assume you are this world's version of Knuckles?"

"You assume correctly," D-Knuckles explained. "What brings you here?"

"Before we cover that," Kim interrupted, "let me ask you something. If this is a demon settlement, how come there aren't any demons around?"

"That's because they're deeper in," D-Knuckles shot back. "I'm stronger than they are, so I'm here to guard the settlement and the jewel. It just doesn't make sense to put the weakest first, then work slowly up to the strongest."

Kim nodded. "I see."

Suddenly, D-Knuckles stood up. "Wait a minute. Now that I get a good look at you, I think I recognize you. Two fox characters… a joined tail… aren't you the duo that invaded the Verdant Woods settlement?"

"That's us," I confirmed. "News travels fast, doesn't it?"

"The demon leader, Z, told us all about you. He's… wait, why am I telling you this? I won't let you have the jewel I'm guarding!"

With that, D-Knuckles approached the location where the Master Emerald resided on the light side of the world. Mounted at that location was none other than the second Black Emerald.

"This is a Black Emerald," D-Knuckles explained, displaying it in his hand. "It's a unique jewel similar to your Chaos Emeralds, only it's a negative version of it. It has many of the same properties, but its energy is pure darkness."

I smirked, noticing that Kim had taken this opportunity to sneak behind D-Knuckles and make a grab for the Black Emerald. D-Knuckles saw this coming, however, and lowered the Emerald before she could touch it.

"Nice try," D-Knuckles boasted, "but if you want the Black Emerald, you'll have to go through me!"

"So be it!" I decided.

Since Kim had slipped around D-Knuckles to the left, I made a move to the right, in an attempt to choke him with our common tail. D-Knuckles saw this coming, though, and threw it over his head.

Making the next move, D-Knuckles jumped into the air and curled into a tight ball, burrowing into the ground. The real Knuckles had used a move similar to this, so I knew where this was going.

Inspecting the ground carefully, I saw the dirt rise in a trail toward the two of us. Realizing that the trail was arcing toward Kim, I quickly pulled her to the side, and D-Knuckles popped out of the ground and delivered an uppercut punch to… the empty air.

Taking advantage of D-Knuckles' temporarily vulnerability, I swung Kim around so she could give him a good kick in the chest. It connected perfectly, and D-Knuckles was knocked over.

"You're good," D-Knuckles muttered as he got up. "I can tell by your fighting style that you, red, are the leader of the two of you. And you, purple, rely on your brother very strongly. That weakness will be your downfall!"

D-Knuckles held up the Black Emerald again. This time, he held it in his right hand, pointed his arm directly at us, and remained silent, as if concentrating his thoughts. Kim and I both flinched as a beam of concentrated dark energy shot out of the Emerald, directly at me.

That's the last thing I remember.

* * *

"That's the last thing I remember." I like the suspense that line generates when used to end a chapter. 


	13. Brother Trouble

Red and Purple

Author's note: Man, I haven't done anything on this site in SO long. I guess I'd better grind out another chapter.

* * *

Segment 3: Echidna Not

Chapter 4: Brother Trouble

* * *

(Kim)

For some reason, the blast of energy that D-Knuckles had unleashed did not seem to damage Leo in any way. In fact, it looked like Leo was being powered up or something. I have to say I was mystified for a moment.

After the blast faded, Leo turned to face me. I was beside myself with worry. "Leo! Are you okay?"

Leo's appearance was exactly as it was before, but he had an odd grin on his face now. "Couldn't be better," he told me in a voice that sounded slightly evil.

D-Knuckles chuckled a little. "I guess it's not obvious what I did, purple (I winced upon being called "purple" again), so I'll explain. I used the Black Emerald to infuse your brother with dark energy, and now he's been turned to the side of the demons."

My brother's been WHAT? I could not believe my ears. "The Black Emeralds are that powerful?" I questioned.

"Indeed they are," D-Knuckles confirmed, "but they can only do THAT if in the hands of one who knows how to handle Emerald magic, such as myself. It comes naturally with the Knuckles form, I guess."

BASH! I was suddenly tackled from behind. Leo had taken advantage of my distraction to give me a rather rude ambush. I could hear D-Knuckles laughing at my misfortune as I attempted to pry my brother off.

"Leo!" I yelped in desperation. "You don't know what you're doing! I'm your sister! You've been brainwashed, Leo; come back to me!"

It was no use. Leo only laughed. "You're wasting your time. I serve the demons now, and you can't change that with your pathetic pleas."

Well, it was worth a try.

Angry now, I used our common tail to whip Leo forward, smacking D-Knuckles in the head. Both of them were somewhat dazed by the impact, I noticed.

My mind raced quickly. When I whipped Leo like that before he'd been possessed, he wasn't dazed in the least. It seemed that he was not quite as skilled with that when he was against me than when he cooperated. There was the weak point I needed.

I braced myself against the ground and swung Leo around in a wide circle as fast as possible. When I was done, I was somewhat dizzy, but recovered quickly. Leo was even dizzier, and fainted on the ground.

Check that, he fainted right on top of D-Knuckles. I searched D-Knuckles' body, found the Black Emerald, and stored it in my purse to show to Tails later. For now, I had more important issues: getting Leo back to normal.

* * *

The "good" Knuckles was waiting by the cave entrance. "Did the expedition go well?" he asked as soon as Leo and I landed.

"I wish it were so," I explained. "My brother got infused with demonic energy or something, and now he's turned evil. He's completely hypnotized; I don't know what to do!"

Unfortunately, Leo had recovered by now. I barely had time to react before he snatched my purse and began to search it for the Black Emerald. I suspected that he was going to use it to restore the settlement.

Leo's attempt was cut short, however, because Knuckles saw what he was doing and gave him a punch in the chin. That was all it took to knock Leo unconscious, and I winced as I watched him fall. Sure, he was evil now, but he was my brother, so it was pretty discomforting.

"Bring him back to the Master Emerald shrine," Knuckles instructed. "I believe I can restore your brother with its power."

"Very well then," I agreed. "Lead the way."

Knuckles led me back to the shrine, where the Master Emerald was glowing as brilliantly as ever. I was mesmerized by its glow for a moment before Knuckles lightly nudged me to remind me what we were doing.

Snapping to my senses, I listened to Knuckles' instructions and placed the unconscious body of my brother on top of the Master Emerald. Knuckles adjusted the body slightly so that it was not hanging over the side; apparently it had to be centered.

"Okay, now hold still," Knuckles announced, and I stood motionless where I was. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Knuckles face the Master Emerald and raise his arms, as if making an offering to it.

A column of light shone up from the Master Emerald. It enveloped Leo completely, and when it faded, he did not appear to be any different, but I trusted Knuckles.

"All done," Knuckles called out. "I've sealed away the corrupted portion of his mind." I picked up my brother and threw him in a nearby river, knowing that that would rouse him fairly quickly.

* * *

I guess that might be enough for one chapter. Still… 


	14. 2nd Black Emerald

Red and Purple

Author's note: Sonic Riders rocks. That's all I have to say.

* * *

Segment 3: Echidna Not

Chapter 5: 2nd Black Emerald

* * *

(Leo)

YEOW! I woke with a start. I was lying in a river for some reason. Apparently, someone had just thrown me in. Kim was standing on the shore, and giggled a bit.

The river's flow was not very strong, so it was no challenge to get out and shake myself dry. "Kim," I finally asked my sister, "what happened?"

Taking a deep breath, Kim told me everything that'd happened since I'd blacked out while facing D-Knuckles. Apparently, that blast of energy had infused me with dark energy, turning me evil. Kim had knocked me out and brought me back to Knuckles, who had cured me.

"I couldn't actually remove the dark energy, Leo," Knuckles added once Kim was done. "Instead, I sealed it away within your body, where it will do no more harm. Remember that it is still there, though."

It was then that Kim held up the second Black Emerald, proof that we had been to the settlement and back. Knuckles nearly lost his balance upon recognizing it.

"You two," he said to us, "that is one of the seven Black Emeralds. They are very powerful, and they could cause a catastrophe if they all fell into the wrong-"

"Hate to interrupt, K-boy," I cut in, "but we already knew all that."

Knuckles was a little mad at getting interrupted that way, but he shrugged it off. We said our goodbyes, and Kim and I began the hike back to Emerald Town.

* * *

Tails was waiting outside his lab. "Leo! Kim!" he greeted us. "Did you get the Black Emerald?"

"Oh yes we did," I confirmed. "Show 'im, Kim."

In response, Kim raised the evil gem in the air. Tails snatched it from Kim's hand as if he were afraid it would bite her.

"So we've got two now," Kim figured. "That leaves just five left. At our current rate, we should have all this done in no time."

Tails nodded. "I do hope you'll collect the rest of them as quickly as possible. The fate of the world depends on it!" He was so anxious, it was a little odd, but I shrugged it off.

While we were here, I decided to strike up a conversation with Tails. "Say, Tails, you said you were a Fox Scout when you were younger, right? What was that like?"

"It was pretty interesting," Tails explained. "Once, I was lost in the forest with my partner, a grey fox named Drive. He was a little older and more experienced than I was, so he felt like he had every right to take charge."

Kim and I listened intently as Tails continued. "When a big bear showed up, we were both scared. It was then that Drive had a curious idea for scaring the bear away. Curious as it was, it worked."

"What was it?" Kim asked, inevitably.

"I was just about to get to that," Tails replied. "Drive and I stood back-to-back and put our feet together, like this. Then, we joined hands and spun around like a big top. The way we whirled confused the bear, and he ran off. Now how about that?"

"Sounds interesting," I commented.

"Well, it worked, and that's what mattered. Drive later christened the move the 'Drive Spin'. I didn't mind him naming it after himself, since it sounded pretty cool." Tails seemed pretty proud of his own story.

"That's a pretty good story," Kim told Tails once he'd finished. "But we'd better get a move on. Maybe you can tell us more some other time."

The three of us said our goodbyes, and Kim and I left to check on Amy.

* * *

When we visited Amy, she was in the middle of doing some push-ups. When she was us, she got to her feet. "Hi, guys," she greeted us. "Did you meet Knuckles?"

"Yeah, we met him," Kim responded, "and you were right. He does have a bit of a short fuse. The excursion was successful, though, and we came out with what we were looking for. We'll go on our next trip tomorrow."

"That's good, I guess," Amy commented. "Where are you going tomorrow?"

I could not respond. "We actually haven't decided yet, but we'll show you the map."

Saying this, I put the map of Emerald County on the nearby table, and erased the Echidna Fields mark. The three of us looked at the map in silence for a moment.

"I'd take this one," Amy finally said, pointing at one mark. "That's the site of Babylon Palace, a small temple that's said to contain all kinds of treasure. There's a bus from Emerald Town that goes directly there. I'll buy a bus pass for you first thing tomorrow morning."

This sounded good to us, so Kim and I said thanks to Amy, and we left the apartment building. Since it was getting a little late, we decided to retire for the day. Another day of adventure would surely await us tomorrow!

* * *

END OF SEGMENT

All right, that's three segments. The length of each segment can vary. I'll go for nine segments.

Side note to Nail Strafer: I'd like to point out that Leo and Kim did NOT ask Tails to teach them the Drive Spin. That would just be ridiculous; I am writing a fic, not a video game. (Even though I have always wanted to write a video game.) 


	15. Segment 3 Summary

Red and Purple

Author's note: This is another segment summary. Since Deltoran hates seeing no actual new content, I will submit the first chapter of the fourth segment IMMEDIATELY after submitting this.

* * *

Segment 3: Echidna Not

Summary of Events

* * *

Wow! This excursion was even more dramatic than the last one. Let's look back on what Leo and Kim accomplished, shall we?

There was a demon settlement in Echidna Fields, which resided due north of Emerald Town. Leo and Kim made that their next stop. Before they could leave, they ran into Amy, who told them about a character named Knuckles.

Knuckles, as it turned out, was pretty talkative. He explained to the two of them a lot of things about the demons and the Black Emeralds, half of which they already knew.

In the process, Knuckles happened to insult the two, and when Kim retaliated, the result was a minor skirmish which Knuckles lost. He deemed them worthy, and took them to where the second settlement was.

Of course, an evil version of Knuckles was waiting inside. He'd heard about Kim and Leo's efforts from their leader, a character named "Z". Then, he launched into battle with them.

This would not end the same way the Foxwood episode ended, however, for D-Knuckles used the Black Emerald to infuse Leo with dark energy and turn him evil, rendering Kim somewhat helpless.

Kim managed to knock Leo and D-Knuckles out and swipe the Black Emerald, after which she took her brother back to the outside world. Knuckles was more than happy to seal away the dark energy in Leo and restore his conscience.

After that, Leo and Kim returned to Tails' lab to drop off the Black Emerald. While they were there, Leo asked Tails about his days as a Fox Scout.

Tails told the two of them about an incident where he and his partner, Drive, had gotten lost. When confronted by a bear, the two of them had driven it off by performing a toplike move called the Drive Spin.

Making a mental note of this, Leo and Kim rushed down to Amy's place to give her the news. Amy recommended a location called Babylon Palace for their next trip out, which would be the following morning.

* * *

So what awaits Leo and Kim at Babylon Palace? Who is this mysterious "Z"? And just what makes the Drive Spin move important enough that I would emphasize it in this summary?

Oh, so many questions and so few answers. But I guarantee that the answers will come in due time.

Check that. I HOPE that the answers will come in due time. 


	16. A Minor Complication

Red and Purple

Author's note: What did I tell you? Here's the first chapter of the fourth segment. That way you'll have something to read that's actually new.

* * *

Segment 4: Board Brains

Chapter 1: A Minor Complication

* * *

(Kim)

I had one heck of a dream that night. I dreamt that Leo and I were walking down a path, and all of a sudden, Leo morphed into some kind of fox monster. He was all dark and scary, and he had big claws and fangs.

What's worse, I couldn't get away from him, since we were still connected by our common tail. Then came the worst of it: Leo's "monsterness" spread quickly to me, and I began to change as well!

The dream was so scary that I woke up halfway through my transformation. Leo was sleeping obliviously, and I went back to sleep as well after a few seconds.

* * *

It was around 9:30 A.M. when we were all done with our morning preparations and picked up our bus pass from Amy. We had decided on going to Babylon Palace, and it was supposed to be a pretty uneventful trek. We spoke with Tails about our decision.

"Your trip should be pretty easy," Tails explained to us. "Babylon Palace is supposed to be pretty empty. I don't doubt that they set up their third settlement inside the ancient palace, and all you'll have to do is walk in and try it."

Leo nodded. "Then we're off. We'll have that Black Emerald before you can say 'Terrafirma Jungle'!" Recognizing the name, I snickered a little.

* * *

We arrived at the bus stop a few minutes before the bus arrived. I showed the bus pass to the driver, and he checked it and let us on. It looked like we were in for a nice ride.

The bus made several stops on its way to the palace. At one stop, a purple swallow girl got on and sat down next to Leo. She looked preoccupied with something.

"Hello," Leo said after a moment.

The swallow turned to face us. "Oh, hello. Have we met?"

"No, we haven't," Leo replied. "My name's Leo. This here is my sister, Kim."

"Pleased to meet you both," she remarked. "My name's Wave. Wave the Swallow. Where are you going?"

I decided I'd better add to the conversation. "Leo and I are headed to Babylon Palace. We're planning a little investigation."

"Investigation… that sounds interesting. I'm planning on going there myself in a little bit. You see, I belong to a group called the- oh, excuse me, this is my stop. Hope to see you again!"

With that, Wave rushed off the bus, leaving Leo and myself to enjoy the rest of the ride in silence.

* * *

It was less than half an hour before the ancient Babylon Palace stood before us. A sign before it read:

**WELCOME TO BABYLON PALACE  
This ancient relic represents an ancient race known as the Babylonians. You can see their insignia above the door.**

And indeed we could. The insignia was a circular thing that looked like a cross between a pigeon and a genie's lamp. Neither Leo nor I could figure out quite what it meant. It might have indicated that the Babylonians were masters of the skies.

The door was wide open, so Leo and I marched right in. There was no lighting aside from a few beams streaking in through tiny windows. Leo shined his flashlight ahead of us, and we quickly located a familiar-looking crystal ball.

"Bingo! There's the settlement," I called out. "Tails was right. That was surprisingly easy. Come on, Leo, let's-"

My sentence was cut short when the whole place began to rumble and shake. _What in the world?_ I thought to myself, and I'm sure Leo felt the same way.

The two of us acted on our first impulse and rushed out of the palace as fast as our legs could manage. When we reached the doorway, we were startled to find the palace suspended a foot or two above the ground. It wasn't much of a height, so it was a short jump down.

Leo was the first one to look back at the palace, and there was the answer. The entire palace was dangling from a chain, foundation and all, and it was being hauled up to some kind of huge airship. Somehow we had failed to notice the chain as we'd come in.

_Oh, I just had to say it,_ I thought to myself as I looked at the airship. Then, I noticed a familiar symbol printed on the side of it. "Hey, Leo," I called, "look at that."

Taking a good look at the symbol, Leo was able to place it quite easily. "It's the same symbol that was on the palace. The Babylonian insignia. There's got to be a connection."

"But never mind! We have to go after them!" Leo yelled as the palace passed through a pair of large bay doors and entered the cargo bay. I had to agree with him. There had to be a way to get on board that airship.

Leo's the one who always comes up with the best plans. He was certainly the one who came up with our plan to get onto the airship. And I have to admit, it was an excellent plan, despite how crazy it seemed at the time.

The plan went something like this: The airship was flying low, about fifty yards above the ground. A nearby oak tree was about that same height, and the two of us climbed to the top as fast as we could.

From there, Leo and I both took a running start and jumped, hooking our common tail onto a pipe hanging from the bottom of the airship. A ladder was within easy reach from there. As the old saying goes, "Where there's a will, there's a way."

* * *

I don't know why this chapter turned out so short. I would actually rather it be longer. But I guess this'll have to do.

Oh, what am I saying? I know I could easily expand this with a little work. I'm just too lazy to do it. 


	17. We've Got Company

Red and Purple

Author's note: I have no idea what Sk27 was talking about in that review. I don't even know if it was my story that Sk27 was reviewing. Nevertheless, next chapter!

* * *

Segment 4: Board Brains

Chapter 2: We've Got Company

* * *

(Kim)

It took both of us to push open the hatch. Nobody was around. The airship's interior was very luxurious in appearance; it looked more like the inside of a mansion or a high-class office building than an airship.

"That temple must be around here somewhere," Leo remarked. "We've got to find it." I rolled my eyes as I listened to this blatantly obvious observation.

Leo and I stuck close to each other- of course, with our common tail, we'd have to- as we searched the ship. The door to the cargo bay turned up fairly quickly, but it was locked.

"You think we should try to find the key to it on our own?" Leo suggested.

"Heck no," I shot back. "We'd never find it in this huge airship. Let's look for this ship's occupants. There has to be someone in charge of this ship. Maybe we can strike up a conversation with them and learn what we need to know."

This sounded good to Leo, so we continued through the ship, this time looking for some sort of control room or something. Our search led us to a neat-looking door. The sign next to the door read "JET'S OFFICE". Promising.

I calmly raised my hand and knocked on the door. "Come in," a voice yelled out from behind it. The voice sounded a bit like Sonic's, but not quite the same. I just can't describe it.

Leo turned the doorknob, and the door swung in. A green hawk character with a pair of racing goggles was relaxing behind a brown desk. He looked somewhat surprised upon seeing us, but calmed down quickly.

"What-? I'm sorry, I thought you were Wave. We almost never have visitors. I'm Jet, Jet the Hawk. You two remind me of something. Have we met somewhere?"

"That's doubtful," I explained. "My name's Kim, and next to me is my brother, Leo."

"I see the resemblance," Jet remarked, looking us over. "I take it you two are pretty attached to each other?"

"Yeah," Leo replied. I personally wanted to leap over the desk and punch Jet for making that joke, but Leo held me back.

Around then, Jet snapped his fingers. "Wait a minute. Leo and Kim? You're those two foxes Wave met on the bus, right? She told me about you. Said you were on some sort of exploration."

"That's us," Leo confirmed. "She's a pretty nice girl, but we didn't have much time to chat."

"So what's this exploration about?" Jet asked us.

"It's about collecting these things called Black Emeralds," I told Jet, and Leo and I gave him the full story.

For some reason, Jet didn't seem too concerned about any demons or any Black Emeralds. "Sounds like you guys have yourselves a situation. I won't help just anyone, though."

"Jet!" a female voice yelled out from behind Leo and me. "That's not the kind of attitude you should have in a situation like this!"

Leo and I whirled around and found that Jet had been addressed by a purple swallow character wearing a bandana or something over her head. Wave again. I decided not to question her unusual fashion sense.

"Wave!" Jet exclaimed. "When did you get here?"

"I overheard everything," Wave explained. "It seems to me, Jet, like you're not giving this situation the seriousness it deserves. I mean, I know the Babylon Rouges don't normally help people, but you can't blow off these two the way you're doing!"

"Calm down, Wave," Jet interrupted. "Get to the point. What brings you here?"

"I'd like to report on the status of Storm's excursion," Wave told Jet. "Storm the Albatross went in to search the palace as soon as we'd hauled it up, but he hasn't come back yet."

Wave turned to speak to Leo and me. "Like I was telling you on the bus, I'm part of a group called the Babylon Rouges. There are three of us. Me, Jet, and Storm the Albatross. Storm's a big guy who's a few gallons shy of a full tank."

As she spoke, Wave gestured up at a picture of the three of them. Jet was front and center, Wave to the right, and Storm to the left. Storm was as large as the other two combined, and looked a little mean. His main color was a gray shade.

"Wouldn't want to get on his bad side," I commented.

Jet laughed out loud, drawing our attention back to him. For the first time, I noticed that Jet was holding some kind of custom-made board, for some kind of sports. It was a green color, to match Jet's own body. "Nice board," Leo mentioned.

"Thank you," Jet replied. "It's a little something called Extreme Gear. These special air-boards are used for racing at the fastest speeds anyone can imagine. Wave is an expert designer of them."

Leo nodded. "Do you think you could teach us to ride one of those things?"

Jet shrugged his shoulders. "I don't see why not."

"I do," Wave interrupted. "Look at the way these two foxes are connected. It would be far too dangerous for them to ride any kind of Extreme Gear together or separately. We can't let them try it."

What a disappointment! I sighed loudly. Leo and I both wanted to take this Extreme Gear stuff for a spin.

"Don't sigh like that," Wave remarked. "I'm sorry, but unless we can figure out a way to keep one of you from getting in the way while the other rides… Wait a minute, that gives me an idea!"

With that, Wave rushed out of the room so quickly it nearly made my head spin. "Now what do you suppose she's up to?" Leo asked.

"She's up to her fifth idea this month," Jet quipped. "And judging by that expression on her face, this one must be particularly clever."

* * *

Wow! All that talk made the chapter pretty long. Don't let that deter you, though! 


	18. The Back of My Hand

Red and Purple

Author's note: I had to make some changes to the last two chapters to fix some issues. Might want to re-read those before starting here. Well, on with the story!

* * *

Segment 4: Board Brains

Chapter 3: The Back of My Hand

* * *

(Leo)

While Kim and I were waiting for this Wave girl to finish whatever she had just gotten an idea for, I decided to strike up a chat with Jet. "When did you start with this Extreme Gear thing?" I asked.

"It runs in the family," Jet explained. "The three of us- we're the descendants of a race called the Babylonians. They were way ahead of their time; they were masters of the sky, and Extreme Gear specialists."

Babylonians? Kim snapped her fingers. "That explains the mark on the side of this airship. So why'd you take the palace?"

"Pardon?"

"Babylon Palace," Kim explained. "You hauled it up into the airship. Why'd you do that?"

"Well…" Jet hesitated here. "Listen, besides being masters of the sky, and of Extreme Gear, the Babylonians were expert thieves, and so are we. We aren't called the Babylon Rouges for nothing, y'know."

"So you hauled it up for a bit of pillaging," I figured. "I guess you sent Storm in for an initial search of the place."

"Yeah. The palace isn't too big, so I find it a bit odd that Storm would take so long to come back. Of course, that guy would have trouble finding his way out of a washroom."

The three of us all laughed at that last part. "Come on, let's walk down to Wave's lab," Jet decided once we were done. "Don't worry, I'll lead the way. I know this airship like the back of my hand."

As Jet, Kim and myself walked through the mazelike halls of the airship- which, Jet told us, was called the _Babylon Wing_- he told us about an interesting event called the EX World Grand Prix. Apparently, it had been quite a mess.

Around then, Kim and I noticed Jet fidgeting with an odd glass cube. When Kim inquired about it, Jet reacted somewhat angrily. "Mind your own business! It's a family heirloom." That's all he said about it.

Ten minutes and three wrong turns later, Jet stopped us at the door to Wave's lab. "She might be in the middle of something," Jet mentioned. "We'd better knock first. The last time I came in without knocking, neither of us could sit down for a week."

Saying these words, Jet raised his fist and knocked gently but loudly on the door. "Is that you, Jet? Come in," Wave's voice called from the other side of the door.

Jet swung the door open. The interior of Wave's lab was very similar to Tails', but at the same time it was very different. Several blueprints littered the floor; I recognized a schematic of Jet's Extreme Gear, the Type J.

Wave was busy drawing something on a sketchpad. She stopped drawing as the three of us approached. "Oh, hello, Jet. Leo, Kim, nice to see you again."

I folded my arms. "Nice to see you too, Wave. We would've gotten here sooner, but Jet here doesn't know the back of his hand too well." I don't think Wave got the joke.

Completely ignoring me, Jet asked Wave how the job was coming. "You're just in time," Wave explained. "I just finished the first part of my plans. Leo, Kim, could you come here a moment?"

Kim and I stepped closer to Wave, who took a tape measure and began measuring our bodies horizontally, vertically, and everything in between. She called out so many numbers that I kept expecting her to yell "Hike!"

A few minutes passed as Wave worked like crazy. She ran back and forth, first drawing a full to-scale blueprint, then beginning the actual construction. Jet, Kim and myself fetched tools and did all kinds of tasks for her.

At last, Wave finished up. She approached us holding some kind of device, and told Kim to hold still. I have to say I was mystified as I watched Wave slip the device over Kim's shoulders and into a secure position. A large clamp was on the back of it.

"What is it?" I finally asked. Instead of answering, Wave displayed something else: a custom Extreme Gear board made just for us. The underside was silver, just like Jet's board, and the exterior was my red in front, fading into Kim's purple at the rear.

Kim took the board and examined it. "Looks pretty neat. Does it have a name?"

"I name all the Extreme Gear I make," Wave explained, displaying a small card with the board's picture on it. On the other side was printed:

* * *

**GEMINI DASH  
Created by Wave. Speed-type board for use by Leo and Kim.**

* * *

Kim raised an eyebrow. "Speed-type? What does that mean?"

"That determines what kind of a racer you are," Jet interjected. "It's an essential to Extreme Gear, because it determines what shortcuts you can take to stay ahead of your foes. There are three types, Speed, Flight, and Power."

"I'm personally a Speed-type," Jet continued. "That defines my ability to grind down rails on my Extreme Gear for shortcuts. Wave's a Flight-type, so she can get some good air off certain ramps and zoom through the air."

"Would it be safe to assume that Storm is a Power-type?" I inquired.

"Of course," Wave answered, taking the Gemini Dash back. "He's a Power-type because he can bust some obstacles like cars and barrels. I could tell just by looking at you two that you'd make a good Speed-type team, if you could ride as one."

Those words said, Wave skipped around behind Kim and held the Gemini Dash up to the device she'd put on, top of the board facing away from Kim and the front facing up. The clamp on the device received the board, securing it in place.

Wave then motioned for me to get out of the way as she pushed Kim forward. My sister yelped as she fell onto her hands and knees. "What was that for?" she yelled.

"It's all part of the plan," Wave assured Kim as she handed me a pair of shoes that quite resembled the ones I was already wearing. "Put these on, please."

I didn't see why, but I changed shoes quickly. Then, Wave told me to stand on top of Kim. I obliged, putting one foot on the surface of the Gemini Dash, then the other, and straightened myself carefully.

Wave reached down and pressed something on the side of the Gemini Dash, and all of a sudden, we lifted up a few feet off the ground. The shoes Wave had given me were outfitted with metallic soles which were now electromagnetically attached to the board.

"The main quality of Extreme Gear," Wave explained, "is its ability to float above ground. I'll explain the technical details on our way to the training room." She turned off the board, Kim stood up, and we exited Wave's lab.

* * *

Whoa. Is it my imagination, or did this chapter turn out really long? 


	19. The Basics of Extreme Gear

Red and Purple

Author's note: I hate April Fools' Day. I need a way to escape it. Writing one of these is as good an escape as any.

* * *

Segment 4: Board Brains

Chapter 4: The Basics of Extreme Gear

* * *

(Leo)

As the four of us strolled back through the Babylon Wing's corridors (led by Wave this time, so we'd be less likely to get lost), Wave explained the ins and outs of Extreme Gear. Most of it was indecipherable technicalese, but she eventually switched to English.

"All forms of Extreme Gear use a special anti-gravity system to hover inches above the ground, eliminating ground friction and permitting riders to zoom down the track at amazing speeds."

This was a bit of information which Kim and I could comprehend. "There are three basic forms of Extreme Gear," Wave continued. "The most common is the board-type. There are also bike-types and skate-types."

Wave went on to explain that the way the clamp device was made, Kim and I could use bike-type gear and board-type gear, but skate-type gear just wouldn't work for us. It was actually a little interesting.

Around then, Wave stopped in front of a large door marked "E. GEAR TRAINING ROOM". This was the place. Wave opened the door by use of a key, and we stepped inside.

The training room was impressively large. It was dominated by some kind of simulation device in the middle. Several large boxes, which apparently contained more Extreme Gear, were stacked up in the corner.

"This is where the Babylon Rouges practice with Extreme Gear," Jet explained. "The machine in the center is a virtual-reality device that will simulate almost any Extreme Gear situation. Wave designed it herself. Go on, take a look."

After my previous adventure in Emerald County, I was no stranger to virtual reality. I had Kim follow me as I approached the large device. It was constructed much differently than anything Tails would make.

All of a sudden, Wave snapped her fingers. "Oh! Just a moment. I need to do something real quick. This'll only take a bit of time."

Wave rushed over to a computer control panel on the device and began typing like crazy. Once she was done, she returned. "Sorry about that. I had to redo a little of the virtual-reality device's programming so it'd recognize the two of you separately."

Kim nodded. "Good idea, Wave. The last thing I want is to not see things in the proper perspective."

"Oh, that reminds me," Wave quickly added, handing us two pairs of racing goggles similar to Jet's. "These are special goggles with holographic lenses that'll display your Extreme Gear status in front of your eyes. Try them on."

The goggles fit perfectly. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a speedometer and some other info, too. "I call that a Holographic Undulation Display," Wave remarked, "or H.U.D. for short."

"Nice ring to it," Kim commented. She had put on her goggles, too. "So what do we do now?"

As per Wave's instructions, Kim and I stepped into the machine's main chamber. A circle of light in the middle of the chamber seemed to beckon us; we stood inside it together, and were temporarily blinded by bright light.

The light cleared, and the two of us were in the middle of a cool-looking neon grid. Holographic arrows pointed us forward. "Leo, go ahead and turn on the Gemini Dash," I heard Wave call to us from nowhere. "There's a button on the side."

Quickly locating said button, I gave it a good slap, nearly knocking Kim off balance. The Gemini Dash hummed to life, even though it showed no symptoms of anti-gravity yet.

Wave then instructed for Kim to fall forward again, which she did. Amazingly, the board's anti-gravity system kicked in and left her hovering inches above the neon-grid floor.

"All right, Leo," Wave's voice followed, "jump on from behind her. And make sure you have some good momentum!"

"Right, Wave," I confirmed, taking a running start and jumping atop Kim. The two of us zipped forward, with me in control and Kim below. I crouched down to reduce air resistance and keep our speed up.

As Wave explained, the Gemini Dash used a special air supply that drained gradually. It drained even faster when we executed a speed boost (Kim pushed a button on the bottom of the board to activate the overdrive).

To replenish the air supply, Wave continued, we could stop at a special Air Pit terminal. We'd have to stop temporarily, but our air would automatically be refilled.

From there, Wave taught us all about how to ride Extreme Gear, including grinding rails, drifting around sharp turns, and replenishing our air supply by performing eye-catching tricks (it sounded odd to me, too, but Wave said it was a trade secret).

Eventually, I heard Wave's voice saying something to Jet. "Jet, step into the side booth of the VR machine, okay?"

The next thing we knew, Kim and I were at the starting line of a neat-looking figure-eight track, and Jet and his Type J were ready to go right next to us.

"Leo, Kim," Wave's voice continued, "the two of you seem like naturals on your Extreme Gear now. Let's see if you can beat Jet in a standard 3-lap Extreme Gear race. I've set the VR machine to give Jet a slight handicap, since he's so much better than you are."

Jet just laughed. "You better believe it! When it comes to Extreme Gear, the Babylon Rouges are second to none!"

My H.U.D. displayed a simplified map of the track, as well as the locations of Jet and myself. So did Kim's. I figured it was safe to assume that Jet's did as well.

We heard Wave's voice again. "As with all Extreme Gear races, this race is no-holds-barred. Anything goes, including you." She snickered at her own joke. I didn't find it particularly funny.

I looked over at Jet. His board was on, but he wasn't on it. I figured that this was what we were supposed to be, so I jumped off of Kim and let her stand up.

"Okay," Wave added, "is everyone ready? 5… 4… 3… 2…"

* * *

I bet you hate me for ending this chapter right in the middle of the countdown. Heh.

Private note to Nail Strafer: If I were you, I'd let Lylo's Short Flight move through. It's not like he's using it to fly freely like Tails can or anything, and you never complained about how similar my character's wall-climbing abilities were to Knuckles', so why would this be an issue? I'd just change the name of the move and let it go. 


	20. Indy Melon Method Fox Tango

Red and Purple

Author's note: Wow, Deltoran's back. Calm down, D.M., I'll get the plot back on track by the end of this chapter.

* * *

Segment 4: Board Brains

Chapter 5: Indy Melon Method Fox Tango

* * *

(Leo)

This was it. Wave had already taught us, down to the very last detail, how to use Extreme Gear. Now we were in a race against Jet the Hawk, one of the best Extreme Gear users in existence. Even with his handicap, the pressure was tense, but I stayed cool.

As Wave counted down, Jet began to run toward the starting line, carrying his Type J. Kim and I decided it was best to follow suit, and we ran down the track as well.

An instant after Wave's countdown hit 0, Jet crossed the starting line. As he did so, he jumped up and popped his Type J under him. As we crossed the line, I pushed Kim forward and jumped on top of the Gemini Dash in hot pursuit.

At first, the match was any man's (fox's? hawk's?) game. Around a big turn, Kim and I managed to get lucky and zoom ahead of Jet, who looked more than a little annoyed. "Stupid annoying handicap," I heard Jet mutter.

Before we knew it, though, Jet hit the boost himself, zoomed up next to us, and knocked me off balance using what looked like a feather duster. Made with his own feathers, even. Strange.

Kim reached out from under the Gemini Dash to catch me and help me regain my position, but the incident left us in the dust, not to mention the loss of quite a bit of Gear fuel.

Up ahead was a large jump. Jet crouched down and jumped high into the air, performing a series of tricks. Wave called out the tricks as Jet performed them: Indy, Melon, Jessy, Hawk Dive. The last one was apparently a unique trick that Jet coined himself.

Determined not to get set back, I jumped the Gemini Dash just as high as Jet had, and Kim and I performed our own chain of tricks. Wave called these out, too: "Indy! Melon! Method! Fox Tango!"

Fox Tango? Where had she gotten that name? Well, no matter. I quickly positioned Kim under me for a perfect landing, and my HUD registered an SS rank and a nice air refuel. Not bad for an amateur.

Now it was payback time. Kim hit the boost, and Leo and I zoomed forward. Upon getting neck and neck with Jet, Kim reached out from under the Gemini Dash, grabbed the Type J, and flipped it sideways, causing Jet to stumble as we zoomed ahead.

The rest of the race wasn't much to tell about. It was basically more of the same, without much else of interest. What's important is that at the end of it all, Kim and I were in first place, beating Jet by a few yards.

* * *

Wave deactivated the V.R. machine, and Kim and I were back in the training room. Jet was right next to us. "I would have won by a mile if Wave hadn't applied that stupid handicap," he growled.

"I think that's why she applied it," Kim remarked with a smirk.

In response to this, Jet tried to give my sister one over the head with his Type J, but Wave stepped in. "Now just a moment, Jet. That's no way to treat guests."

"Guests?" Jet shot back. "These two came on board our ship without any invitation at all, remember? They could be thieves or something!"

"WE'RE 'thieves or something,'" Wave reminded the hawk. "Besides, I met these two before you did, and I trust them. They don't strike me as the type that'd steal anything from us that we didn't steal first."

Jet, a little exasperated, glanced back to Kim and me, and we nodded. "She's right," I said.

"It's almost lunchtime," Wave added. "Let's discuss matters over a bite to eat. Come on, Leo, Kim. We've got some high-quality food here on the Babylon Wing."

* * *

While we were eating lunch- which, by the way, was delicious- the four of us talked about a few things, including a few more aspects of Extreme Gear, what the Babylon Rouges had gone through in the past, and most importantly, Babylon Palace. We had to get that third Black Emerald.

"It worries me a little," Jet commented. "No matter how long Storm's gone, he's not one to miss lunch. It must have been something serious. Did you say something about a dark dimension controlled by the demons?"

"Yes," I reminded Jet. "The entrances to this dimension are odd crystal balls set up in dark areas. One of them is in Babylon Palace. I think Storm must have found it and gotten captured by the demons."

Wave nodded. "As crazy as that story might sound, I believe you. You aren't planning to go in there, are you?"

"Oh yes we are," Kim interjected. "We're going to rescue Storm, too; you can bet on it." Man, she's getting to be just like me.

Jet and Wave discussed this for a moment. After a couple minutes, they came to a decision. "Okay, Leo, Kim," Jet said, "we'll let you into Babylon Palace to rescue Storm and get this Black Emerald thing. But Wave's coming with you."

We decided that it wouldn't hurt to bring Wave with us. "All right, let's go right after lunch," I told our hosts.

It was then that Kim glanced at Wave's plate. "Gee, Wave, you've barely touched your food. You really eat like a bird, don't you?"

"Mind your own business!" Wave shot back. I resisted the urge to laugh at this exchange.

* * *

Gee, this chapter turned out short. What am I doing wrong? Why are my chapters turning out like this?

Well, whatever. To fill the space, here's a quick riddle. The first person to figure out what the answer is gets a… gets a… well, I'll figure that out later.

(ahem)

I am my last, my last is an S  
I ride a rock, and I ride it the best  
My bound is low, but my pride is high  
And my P.O.B. is up in the sky  
I have no checkpoints I'm required to find  
Instead, I search for a trio that shine  
My name is too much for my life to behold  
So the letters that start it are how I am told  
Who am I? 


	21. Rescuing Storm

Red and Purple

Author's note: Sorry about the delay, everyone. I don't know what made me stop writing chapters. Maybe it's the fact that nobody made a go at the riddle. Anyway, here!

* * *

Segment 4: Board Brains

Chapter 6: Rescuing Storm

* * *

(Wave)

When I'd first met the two foxes on the bus, I had a feeling about them. I'm sure they're the kind sort. That's why I wasn't too mad about their sneaking on board the ship. But their story was quite a wild one!

Once lunch was over with and we'd finished our preparations, I led Leo and Kim back to the cargo bay and unlocked the door with a key. I had barely opened it when Leo grabbed me and rushed in. What an enthusiastic fox.

The three of us stepped into Babylon Palace. The chain was still attached to it. I guess I forgot to have Storm take it off. Silly me. But either way, we entered the palace together. I was still carrying my Type W, just in case.

What I saw next puzzled me. The palace's interior ended in a dead end. The only feature was a dark-looking crystal ball sitting on a pedestal, and Storm was nowhere in sight.

"Where could Storm have ended up?" I wondered. I must have said it out loud without knowing, because Kim grabbed my arm and pointed at the crystal ball. Was Storm in the ball? Didn't make sense to me, but I gave her the benefit of the doubt.

Still clutching my arm, Kim signaled to Leo, who stepped forward and put his hand on the crystal ball. The instant he did so, there was a flash of light or something, and the three of us were all sucked into the ball's darkness. Or something. I was a little too surprised to remember exactly.

When we recovered, the three of us were lying on the floor of what appeared to be the Babylon Wing's cargo bay, but somehow it seemed a little different. A little … evil. I don't know how, it just bugged me.

Leo and Kim seemed surprised at this, too, but in a different way. I heard Leo say something to Kim about changes to the real world affecting the demons' world, or something like that.

A note lay on the ground. Leo picked it up and read it aloud: "If you're looking for the albatross, come to the hawk's office. But don't come unless you've got the two connected foxes with you. Ah, an invitation." I winced at Leo's remark.

* * *

The door to Jet's office was not locked. I turned the knob and swung the door open in a wide arc. Storm was standing in front of Jet's desk, and I was overcome with emotion. I rushed forward and hugged him as best I could.

"Storm! Am I ever glad to see you! After you'd disappeared, I-"

"Uh, Wave?"

"Something wrong, Leo?"

"Look out the window."

I turned to look out the window, and hanging from a cable outside was none other than… Storm? I looked back and forth from Storm to Storm, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Wave!" the Storm out the window called. "These three creeps who looked like you, me, and Jet caught me as soon as I'd used that ball thing! HELP ME, WAVE!"

Leo leaned over to whisper in my ear (I think he had trouble finding it). He told me that the "impostors" the Storm outside had mentioned were demonic mimics of us, meant to guard these things called Black Emeralds. It made sense to me, so I trusted him.

"Ah, glad to see you here," a voice called out from behind me. The voice was much like my own. I whirled around and confronted what turned out to be the counterparts of Jet and myself.

I took a defensive pose. "What is this?"

D-Jet (I believe that was how Leo and Kim referred to them) folded his arms. "Allow me to explain. The foxes have been meddling in our affairs. They're very powerful. They snatched two of our seven Black Emeralds, in fact. That's why we're so interested in them."

"Therefore," D-Wave added, "we must stop them in any way possible. STORM! GET THEM! We'll be waiting in the atrium."

With those words, D-Jet and D-Wave dashed out of the room while D-Storm lunged at Leo and Kim with a punch. I lunged forward and knocked them out of the way, falling down in the process.

Leo and Kim dodged a few more punches from D-Storm. It soon became obvious that he was not interested in me at all, and was only aiming to eliminate the foxes. I guess their main threat would be their first priority.

Soon, Kim was out of breath. "It's (pant) no use, (pant) Leo. We (pant) need some way to (pant) confuse him. (pant) You know, (pant) drive him off (pant) somehow."

Hearing this, Leo snapped his fingers. "Kim! That's it!"

_What's it?_ I thought to myself. I soon found out. As per Leo's instructions, Kim stood back-to-back with him, feet in palate stance, joined hands with their arms crossed at their wrists, and prepared to perform some kind of technique.

What they did then was a shocker. Leo and Kim became a rapidly spinning blur of purplish-red, like a big top or something. D-Storm flinched at the way they spun, but didn't back off.

When D-Storm charged at Leo and Kim for another punch, his fist was deflected by the rapid spinning motion, and he nearly punched himself. I couldn't help but swallow my pride (no pun intended) and laugh a little.

"Nice defense," I commented once the foxes had stopped spinning. "What do you call that move?"

"It's called the Drive Spin," Leo explained. "I actually expected it to scare him off, but that worked as well, I guess."

I made a note of the move in my notepad. It seemed interesting. Maybe I could perform it with Jet, and get something good out of it. (I don't mean it THAT way, you perverts!)

About that same time, D-Storm recovered from the deflection and tried to belly-flop Leo. Kim saw this coming, though, and yanked Leo to the side, causing D-Storm to hit the ground.

I've been with Storm long enough to know that if he falls on his stomach, it isn't easy for him to get back on his feet; that's how heavy he is. Such was the case here. Try as he might, D-Storm couldn't adjust himself enough to get up.

Leo and Kim took this opportunity to search D-Storm's body. "Nothing," Kim said once they were done. "I guess the other two have the Emerald."

"Looks that way," Leo agreed. "Wave, go save Storm. Kim, come with me and we'll head for the atrium."

I wasn't too pleased to be ordered around by someone other than Jet, but this sounded good to me. As the foxes left in one direction, I headed for the outlook platform. The sky was unusually dark, probably owing to the fact that we were still in that alternate world.

From the platform, I made a risky maneuver: I jumped over the railing and used my Extreme Gear to hover down to Storm's position. Soon, Storm was right beside me, and I carefully untied him.

Needless to say, without the rope, Storm dropped like a brick. I dove down and caught Storm on the tail of my Type W. The weight nearly tipped me off balance, but I leaned forward to try to fulcrumize myself.

"You saved me, Wave!" Storm yelped.

"Not yet I didn't," I informed the albatross. "Let's get inside, and quick!"

Something concerned me, though. It seemed to me that when he was battling Leo and Kim, D-Storm appeared to be holding back a little… why would he be doing that? Did he not want to kill them?

* * *

Whoa. Long. And I'm willing to bet that the length-to-content ratio is a little too high for this chapter.

Keeping the length-to-content ratio in check is very important for an author, you know. If it's too high, readers will get bored at the lack of happenings. And if it's too low, too much will happen at once, and the story will feel rushed. 


	22. Two On Two

Red and Purple

Author's note: Everyone seems to be begging for more. I guess I have an obligation, so…

* * *

Segment 4: Board Brains

Chapter 7: Two On Two

* * *

(Kim)

"Leo," I told my brother, "I can't believe you're so sure you know where the atrium is. You could've at least stopped for directions, but you didn't!"

In response, Leo pointed out a small sign on the wall marked "ATRIUM". Looking at this, I felt a little foolish. I had not noticed it before now, and now I realized that these small signs were all over the hallways.

It took a matter of minutes for us to arrive at the door that led into the atrium. The door wasn't locked. (Thinking about it now, I find it funny that the doors were always locked when it seemed like we should explore the area first, and not when it didn't.)

The lights inside had been turned off, but the light switch was right there, so Leo hit the lights. The atrium's two occupants, D-Jet and D-Wave, both flinched at the sudden exposure to light, but they recovered immediately.

"So you came," D-Jet taunted. "Is it the Black Emerald you're looking for?"

"What else?" Leo shot back. "Did you think we were here for a pleasant chat?"

While Leo and D-Jet exchanged words, I looked around at the atrium. It was a very large place, as large as a gymnasium in all dimensions. Several chairs and potted plants littered the edges of the area, and there was even a skylight in the ceiling, which had a curtain over it.

"Sure, I've got the Black Emerald right here," D-Wave interrupted, holding up a gem I recognized. "You're not going to get it just by asking me for it, though!"

Leo chose this opportunity for a surprise attack. It must've been a surprise attack; it certainly surprised me. He whipped me forward in an attempt to clock D-Wave, who blocked me by using her own Extreme Gear board as a shield. It worked well.

As I recovered, D-Wave turned the Type W on, jumped on it, and rode away from us. D-Jet followed suit with his Type J. Leo gritted his teeth as he pushed me forward, turned the Gemini Dash on, and zoomed through the air in hot pursuit.

Right now, I'd like to say a few things about being under the Gemini Dash like that, since Leo didn't give me a chance to tell about it earlier. Being in that position with Leo riding on top of me was a little scary, but a little thrilling at the same time, like skydiving.

I kept thinking that I'd go deaf from the wind rushing into my ears, but I never did. I don't know why that was. I guess it was the way the Extreme Gear was designed.

"Boost it, Kim!"

Hearing this command from Leo, I snapped to my senses and slapped the boost button on the Gemini Dash, causing us to boost forward. I noticed that Leo was clutching the board tightly so he wouldn't fall; I don't blame him.

We missed D-Wave completely, and knocked over a potted plant as we zoomed around. Not deterred at all, Leo turned and aimed at D-Wave again. This time, I reached out and slapped the Type W's boost button.

D-Wave yelped as her board boosted right out from under her feet, but this wasn't over by a long shot. Right as she lost her footing, she threw the Black Emerald into the air, and D-Jet caught it and fled.

I don't even know what happened next, but somehow D-Jet ended up behind us. Leo was ready. With a sudden burst of zeal, he spun the Gemini Dash in circles, creating a small whirlwind in its wake, just as the real Wave had taught us.

Somehow, D-Jet did not see this coming, and was thrown into the air. When he hit the floor, sans Type J, Leo deactivated the Gemini Dash, and he and I ran over to search him for the Black Emerald.

Yes! I took the emerald and put it in my handbag. "So long, sucker," Leo taunted D-Jet. "Next time, the least you can do is try a little!"

* * *

(?)

"Is the plan progressing?"

"Yes, Z, it's progressing perfectly."

"And nobody suspects a thing?"

"To my knowledge, everyone is absolutely clueless, including that girl Amy Rose."

"Excellent. Remember, those two conjoined foxes are priority one."

"I remember that, Z. Don't worry. In a matter of days, the demons will rule all. I can't wait to see the looks on those foxes' faces when they find out!"

"Well, don't blow your cover until our plan has progressed sufficiently."

"You know I won't."

"Good. That is all. If any issues come up, you know where to find me."

* * *

Hm, interesting twist at the end there, don't you think? 


	23. News Report

Red and Purple

Author's note: Sorry about the lag. I guess I was waiting for Nail Strafer to get back. Might be a long wait, so I'm submitting this baby now. Oh, and check out my other story, "A Boundary Crossed: Director's Cut", when you get the chance. Unless, of course, you've already done so.

* * *

Segment 4: Board Brains

Chapter 8: News Report

* * *

(Kim)

Jet was waiting for us when Leo and I returned to the real Babylon Wing, accompanied by Wave and Storm. "Nice work, you guys," he told us with a chuckle. "I guess I underestimated you."

"Next time, don't," Leo said smugly. I rolled my eyes.

Wave stepped forward. "Leo and Kim are very skilled, and they kept their cool through everything that went on in there." She provided an account of what happened in the demonic Babylon Wing. Leo and I told our story, as well.

"You should've seen that one time," Wave said at one point, "where Leo and Kim used that spin move as a defense. What was it called?"

"The Drive Spin," I remarked.

"Yes, the Drive Spin. Say, could you show me that one more time? It looked interesting to me."

"Sure," Leo agreed, and he and I stood back-to-back and performed the whirling move once more. Jet flinched. I thought I saw Wave writing something down, but we were spinning too quickly for me to tell.

When our torque died down, and the two of us recovered from dizziness, Wave reached out and disconnected the Gemini Dash from my back. She removed the clamp, too. The sudden absence of their weight made me feel like I was floating up all of a sudden.

"I don't want you weighed down by that stuff as you continue your journey," Wave explained. "Don't worry, though. We'll keep the Gemini Dash safe here on the Babylon Wing, so stop by if you want to do any more boarding."

Wave didn't make it clear how we were supposed to "stop by" a nomadic flying airship, but I decided to trust her. "Thanks, Wave. We'll do that."

* * *

Leo and I stood inside Babylon Palace. "Ready when you are," Leo yelled out.

"Roger," Jet replied. "Let it down, Storm!"

The bay doors swung open, and the palace, still hanging from the chain, swung back and forth. Slowly but steadily, the chain lowered us down and down, making a CLUNKACLUNKACLUNKA noise as it went.

When the palace touched down, Leo and I made a spectacular leap from its doorstep, landing on the ground with no problems. It looked like we could just take the bus back to Emerald Town and we'd be done with the third Black Emerald… when we heard someone speaking out.

"This is Kitty O'Brien of KBS News here with the afternoon report. Earlier today, Babylon Palace was literally stolen off its foundations, but as you can see, it's back now! That surprised even me!"

As Leo and I approached Kitty, she whirled around and pulled us up beside her. Somehow she'd seen us coming out. "Well, look at these two palace raiders. What are your names, you two?"

"Leo," Leo replied. "Leo Starlinowski. This is my sister, Kim."

Kitty's ears perked up. "Leo? That was the name of the robin hero who'd saved Sonic the Hedgehog when Dr. Eggman captured him! Any relation?"

I stepped forward. "Actually, my brother here is-"

Leo stopped me and took over. "I've heard of him. I like to classify myself as a reincarnation of him."

"Ah, I bet," Kitty agreed. "Say, Leo Starlina- Starl- Starlin- uh, can I just shorten that to Star?"

"I don't see why not," I assured Kitty.

"Thank you. Anyway, Leo and Kim Star, were you involved in the absence of Babylon Palace?"

"Not directly," Leo explained, "but we negotiated with the group responsible and convinced them to put it back." I nodded in agreement.

Around then, Kitty noticed Leo fidgeting with the Black Emerald. "Say, what's that?" she asked us.

"It's a Black Emerald," I interjected. "These special jewels have mystical dark powers. We're collecting them all for the sake of the world. There are seven in total, and we have a map indicating where the remaining jewels are."

"Sounds thrilling," Kitty commented. "How many do you have so far?"

"This is our third," Leo replied. "We have just four left."

After a few more questions, Kitty let us go, but not without giving us two "I WAS INTERVIEWED BY KITTY O'BRIEN" stickers. Their design was different than the one Leo had showed me the other day; she must've changed it since then.

I even remember Kitty's parting line to the camera: "Looks like the Star foxes are in for quite an adventure. We'll have more news later tonight!" The Star foxes? Sounded catchy somehow.

"Leo," I asked him once we were out of earshot, "why didn't you tell Kitty who you really were?"

"And have her and her entire viewing audience think I was some kind of lunatic?" Leo shot back. "I'd rather not!"

* * *

(?)  
"Did that Kim fox say something about a map? A map to find the rest of those glittering Black Emeralds? My plans on the Master Emerald can wait. If I can steal that map, those jewels will be as good as mine! It'll be no problem for a skilled jewel thief such as myself!"

* * *

Hm, perhaps this is a hint at what's to come in the next segment? 


	24. 3rd Black Emerald

Red and Purple

Author's note: Sorry for the lag, everyone. But I can't disrespect my old haunting grounds. I've got another chapter up and running!

* * *

Segment 4: Board Brains

Chapter 9: 3rd Black Emerald

* * *

(Leo)  
After the interview with Kitty O'Brien, Kim and I took the bus back to Emerald Town. The ride was pretty uneventful, and the two of us enjoyed the scenery as it whizzed by.

Upon setting foot back on the streets of the town, Kim led the way back to Tails' lab. Our two-tailed friend had turned the lights out for some reason, but when we came in, he immediately switched them back on.

"Glad to see you're back unscathed," Tails mentioned to us. "So how'd it go? Did you bring the Black Emerald?"

"Yeah, but things didn't quite go as planned," I replied, and Kim and I explained the whole incident on the Babylon Wing. Tails didn't seem to expect the palace's loss; I guess he didn't see the news report.

"So we've got three Black Emeralds now," Tails confirmed. "Almost halfway. I hope the other four come this smoothly! I'll do what I can to help. Where are you going next?"

Kim showed the map. "We don't know yet. We'll decide a little later. We're going to go visit Amy now."

With that, the two of us began to leave, but Tails stopped us. "Hey!"

I whirled around. "Did we forget something, Tails? Oh, right. Now I remember." And Kim handed Tails the third demonic gem.

"Thanks- I need those," Tails told us as we left. I had to wonder what he needed them for, but I didn't say anything.

* * *

When Kim knocked on the door of Amy's apartment, the latter opened the door right away. She seemed quite enthusiastic about seeing us. "Leo! Kim! I just saw the two of you on Kitty O'Brien's news program!"

I nodded. "Yeah, she stopped us for a quick interview about what we'd been doing."

It was then that Kim noticed a piece of paper or something on the table. "Amy, what's that?" she asked.

"Oh, that," Amy confirmed. "Every week this magazine prints out one of these puzzles. You've got to fill the letters A through I in nine times each in this grid so that no row, column, or three-by-three sector contains any repeats."

I bent over the puzzle. It seemed familiar somehow. "Amy," I finally said, "I think a G goes here."

Amy stood beside me. "How can you tell?"

"Well, it's only logic," I explained. "There has to be a G somewhere in this sector. It can't be in this row because there's a G there already.

"And it can't be in this row because that would mean there'd have to be a G in these three squares, and there's nowhere for it to go there. That just leaves these three squares, and those two are occupied, so the G has to go here." I folded my arms in smugness.

"Oh yeah, I can't believe I didn't see that before. Thanks for spotting that," Amy agreed, and she quickly grabbed a pen and marked a G in the square I'd pointed out.

Around then, Kim took the map out again and put it on the table. She carefully erased the Babylon Palace mark. Only four marks remained, and some of the locations weren't recognizable.

"Looks like you've still got four of those black gems to go," Amy commented as she checked the map. "I think I can see why you're having difficulties. It looks like it'd be hard to decide…"

Amy changed her stance slightly. "Well, there's no point in you worrying about that. I'll tell you what. I'll borrow this map and ring your hotel when I get something figured out. Then you can come back here and take it back. How does that sound?"

It sounded good, so Amy and I shook on it. The map remained on the table as Kim and I left the room.

* * *

The hotel room looked a lot neater than it'd been when we'd left. The bed was all made and everything. I inferred that housekeeping had been to the room while we were out.

Kim approached a potted plant in the corner and examined the soil. "The soil's dry," she told me. "Housekeeping didn't water the plants. Why do you suppose that was?"

I examined the plant. "I think it has something to do with the fact that the thing's plastic," I commented. Kim and I both laughed a little.

Just then, the telephone rang. Kim picked it up. Amy was on the other end, and she sounded panicked, possibly even hysterical. "LEO! KIM! YOU'VE GOTTA GET OVER HERE NOW!"

* * *

END OF SEGMENT

Wow, now that's a way to end the segment. I'll be uploading the segment summary at the same time as this chapter, just to get it out of the way quickly. 


	25. Segment 4 Summary

Red and Purple

Author's note: The summary comes at the same time as the previous chapter. How much of it can you remember?

* * *

Segment 4: Board Brains

Summary of Events

* * *

Whoa! Things really took a turn for the wacky here. Let's see what happened.

On the morning of this particular day, Leo and Kim took the bus to Babylon Palace. On the way, they met a kind swallow girl named Wave. She was part of a special group, but she didn't get a chance to divulge any details.

Leo and Kim found out soon enough. Babylon Palace was almost uneventful, but things went awry quickly, as the whole thing was hauled up to an airship. The two foxes snuck onboard to investigate.

Surprise! The airship belonged to a group of thieves called the Babylon Rouges, and so did Wave. Their leader was Jet the Hawk, who took some time to talk to the intruders.

The Babylon Rouges were Extreme Gear specialists, and Wave and Jet agreed to teach Leo and Kim how to ride. They got their own unique board, the Gemini Dash, and quickly mastered it.

After they ate lunch together, Wave joined Leo and Kim in their excursion into Babylon Palace and the demons' settlement to investigate the disappearance of the third member of the Rouges, Storm the Albatross. They found him, but he was in trouble.

Things ended on a high note, though. Wave rescued Storm while Leo and Kim took out D-Jet and D-Wave, recovering the third Black Emerald. After that, they said their goodbyes and came down.

Surprise! Kitty O'Brien was in the middle of a news report on-site when Leo and Kim returned, and she pulled the two aside for a quick interview. Leo took charge when it came to what to disclose to the public and what not to.

From there, it was a short ride to Emerald Town. Leo and Kim met up with Tails and handed over the Black Emerald, and then they rendezvoused with Amy, who'd seen the news report while working on a logic puzzle.

Amy agreed to keep the map while Leo and Kim headed back to their hotel room for a spell, but something's gone wrong. Why is Amy so panicked? What happened? And just where will the next excursion be to?

So many questions. Don't worry, though; I promise I'll give you the answers in due time! 


	26. Sherlock Starlinowski

Red and Purple

Author's note: I've had a big lot of time on my hands over the past couple days due to not having Internet access. My DS is running low on battery strength, too, and since we're in a foreign country and the voltages are different, I can't charge it up, so I'm basically on standby mode. This vacation is a total flop. But enough about me, right?

* * *

Segment 5: From Bat to Curse

Chapter 1: Sherlock Starlinowski

* * *

(Leo)

"Amy!" I exclaimed through the telephone. "What happened over there?"

The girl's voice on the other end of the line was frantic. "I can't waste my breath explaining it over the phone! Just come over here right now!"

Click. Kim and I looked at each other for a moment, and we nearly injured each other racing for the door.

* * *

The door to Amy's apartment burst open as Kim shoved it out of the way. Behind the door, Amy Rose was in a state of panic. "Leo! Kim!" she exclaimed. "Thank goodness you're here! The map! The map you lent me- it was- the map was-"

Kim calmed Amy down. "Now, now, wait a minute, Amy. There's no use going crazy about it. Take a deep breath and tell us slowly. What happened to the map?"

After a few deep breaths, Amy was ready to tell us what happened. What she said was only four wards, but the last one was a real blow to us. "The map was stolen."

Stolen! Kim and I both gasped. "We can't go after the Black Emeralds without a map," I muttered. "Amy, how exactly did it happen?"

"I had placed the map on the desk over there," Amy recalled. "The window there was open, but I held the map down with a few paperweights. A few minutes later, I heard one paperweight move, and I looked over just in time to see a thief fly off with the map in her hand."

Kim snapped her fingers. "Aha! Did you get a good look at her? What did she look like?"

"Well," Amy began, "the thief was a female bat with dark purple wings. Her head was white, and as befits a bat, she had large ears. She wore a purple outfit, and- wait a minute, now I think I know who it is! It's Rouge!"

"Rouge?" Kim echoed. "Who's Rouge?"

"She's a flirtatious thief of a bat who loves jewels. Sonic and I have had many run-ins with her in the past, back before Leo first came here. She must have stolen the map so she could take the Black Emeralds for herself."

"She won't get far with my sis and me on her tail," I assured Amy. "But we don't know where she is. Let's discuss the matter with Tails."

* * *

Amy stood behind Kim and me as the latter knocked on the door of Tails' lab. Our two-tailed friend opened the door fairly quickly. "You're back," Tails mentioned. "How's it going with the Black Emeralds?"

"You sure seem anxious to get those Black Emeralds," Amy mentioned, cocking her head to one side. "Are you all right, Tails?"

"Anyway, things aren't looking up," Kim interrupted, and the three of us explained the situation to Tails, who seemed to understand.

"Sounds like you're in a pickle," Tails commented once we were done. "Don't worry, though. I think I can give you a hand. It sounds like Rouge would be heading to one of the Black Emerald locations, so that should narrow it down."

Kim was about to ask another question, but before she could, Tails was out of the room, and into an adjoining room. It wasn't determinable what he was doing in there, since he'd locked the door (Amy tried it). After a few minutes, the door unlocked itself, and Tails emerged with a smile on his face.

"Have you got it?" Amy pressed. "Do you know where Rouge went with the map?"

Tails nodded. "You bet I do. Rouge is headed for a Black Emerald location, all right. According to a radar scan, her destination appears to be the Desert of King Frara."

"I know the place!" Amy exclaimed with delight. "The Desert of King Frara is several miles east of Emerald Town. It's the site of several ancient-but-still-in-good-condition pyramids. Since it's a popular tourist attraction, there's a special underground train system that goes directly there. In fact, I've been planning a trip there myself."

Amy then turned to face Kim and myself. "Leo? Kim? If you're going to the Desert of King Frara right away… can I come with you?"

Kim stepped forward. "I don't know about this, Amy. We're going into some fierce battles with those demons. And you don't strike me as the type who'd be good at defending herself."

Maybe she shouldn't have said that. When Amy heard this, she gave Kim a punch in the chest that would have made Mike Tyson jealous. Kim would probably have been sent flying across the room by herself if our common tail hadn't gone taut and yanked me off my feet as well. The two of us quickly wound up in a heap in front of Tails.

"Okay," Kim said as we picked ourselves up, "NOW you strike me as the type who'd be good at defending herself. But next time, spare me the demonstration."

Tails laughed a little. "Looks like the demons are going to have to deal with a trio of heroes for this round instead of a duo. At this rate, I guess we'll have those Black Emeralds in no time."

I nodded. "You said it, Tails. Amy, are you ready for this?"

"Well, I need to make a few preparations," Amy replied, "but they shouldn't take long. Meet me in ten minutes at the corner of Sixth and Green, at the east edge of town."

That sounded good to us, so we adjourned our gathering and left in different directions.

* * *

Maybe I should stick to writing "Saul". I think the chapters of that story have a higher quality than the chapters of this one. 


	27. Unfortunate

Red and Purple

Author's note: I really should stop slacking off. I've got the next chapter up; it's been in the mental planning stage for longer than you know.

* * *

Segment 5: From Bat to Curse

Chapter 2: Unfortunate

* * *

(Leo)

"Amy should be here any minute," Kim remarked.

Kim and I were standing below a street sign. In one direction, it read "6TH ST." In a perpendicular direction, it read "GREEN AVE." The entrance to a subway station was a stone's throw away. This was the location Amy had told us to meet her at.

A sudden voice diverted our attention. "Leo! Kim!"

I turned my head, and Kim followed. Amy was running up to us with some tickets in her hand. "Sorry it took so long. There was a line at the ticket machine. Are you ready for the Desert of King Frara?"

"Oh, you bet we are," I assured her, and together the three of us took the staircase down into the station.

* * *

It was a fairly uneventful train ride. We found a line of three seats that were all together. Amy wanted to sit in the middle, but I pointed out that with our common tail, Kim and I had to sit next to each other. In the end, I wound up sitting in the middle, with Amy to the right and Kim to the left.

"So what's this Desert of King Frara like?" I asked Amy while we were riding.

"Well, like I said, it's a popular tourist attraction," Amy explained. "It's not half as hot as you'd expect, either. There's a little makeshift town just west of the pyramids. That's where the train will drop us off."

Kim smirked. "Sounds interesting."

* * *

Amy was right. When we emerged from the station, it wasn't scorching hot like it would normally be in the desert. It was actually more like a warm summer day. Must have been something about the climate. There were a series of tents set up along what resembled a boardwalk. To the right, some large pyramids were visible, but aside from that, it really didn't seem very desertish at all.

"It's just as the brochure pictured it," Amy confirmed. "Where do you want to go first?"

"Stay on task," Kim reminded Amy. "Our first order of business should be to ask around and see if there's anyone who's seen our map thief."

"Don't be so tense," I interjected. "Loosen up a little, Kim. We really should enjoy the sights a little. Come on, let's take a look at that fortune-teller's tent over there."

As I said this, I pointed at one tent that looked fancier than the others. A sign posted above the tent flap read:

**PRINCESS MARIKO  
FORTUNE-TELLER**

Amy rubbed her chin. "So this Mariko is a princess. All right, let's go take a look."

* * *

(Amy)

"Hello?" Kim called out as she pushed aside the tent flap. "Is anyone in here?"

The interior of Princess Mariko's tent was lit by nothing more than a few candles set up in various places and some sunlight coming in from the windows. The dim light gave the tent a mystic feel. I couldn't help but think about what the owner must be like as I looked around.

"Sit down, please, all of you," an older female voice responded. All attention focused on the table in the center of the room, behind which was seated a female cat figure a little older than Kitty O'Brien. Her fur was a goldenrod color, and she wore a red robe. In front of her there was a beautiful crystal ball.

Obeying this lady's command, the three of us sat down in the three chairs that had been conveniently set up in front of the table. Kim sat in the middle this time, with Leo to the right, while I took my position on the left.

"I am Princess Mariko," the feline introduced herself. "I have a bloodline which goes straight up to King Frara himself. If you head south from here, his pyramid's the first one on the right. You can't miss it. Some of the pyramid's treasure still remains undiscovered. But enough about that."

About then, I turned my head and glimpsed none other than Rouge the Bat peeking in through the tent flap and listening in on us. The instant she saw me, she ducked her head out, and I lost her.

"Take your seat, miss," Mariko hissed. I did so. "Did you want a fortune-telling?"

"Yes, very much," Kim confirmed. "Tell us about our future."

Mariko nodded, and then rubbed her hand over the crystal ball. She continued doing this for about a minute, as if she was in a trance. Finally, she spoke. "The crystal ball tells me that something you believe to be true may actually be quite false. That's the fortune the ball tells."

I jumped to my feet. "Please! There isn't any detail in that. I could give a more specific fortune than that with my tarot cards."

"Now just a minute," Mariko replied, a bit of anger entering her mouth. "This is my business you're talking about. I don't take kindly to people who criticize me."

Those words said, Mariko took a vial out of her pocket and poured its contents, a quantity of powder, into her hand. She then took a deep breath and blew the powder into my face. I coughed a little, but I remained calm.

"What was that?" Leo asked after a moment.

"Not much," Mariko explained nonchalantly. "I just gave her a taste of the family curse. It should take effect in about fifteen minutes. You can go now; I won't charge you for the fortune-telling just this once."

As we were leaving, Kim turned and faced me. "Amy," she asked, "aren't you a little worried about that family curse business that the princess mentioned?"

"Couldn't care less," I replied. "As far as I'm concerned, curses are just superstitious garbage." If only I'd known.

* * *

I think that does it for the chapter. I think I've figured out by now why I'm doing so much better with _Saul_ than with this story. I started this one badly, and I did it in a way that I can't really make it much better. 


	28. I can't marry Sonic like this!

Red and Purple

Author's note: Somehow I thought that last review from Nail Strafer was from Deltoran Merchant. Shows how much attention I pay. Oof. Well, here's the next chapter of this story to occupy you.

* * *

Segment 5: From Bat to Curse

Chapter 3: I can't marry Sonic like this!

* * *

(Leo)

"Let's look around some more," Kim suggested. "We've got to find our map thief."

Various other tents besides the fortune-teller's lined the area. Amy led us from tent to tent, and we chatted with everyone. Nobody seemed to have seen Rouge, though.

At the end, I spotted a familiar face staring near the pyramids. It was Wave. For some reason, she'd come here. The three of us rushed up to her and said hello.

"Oh, hey, Leo, Kim," Wave returned our greeting. "Fancy running into you here. What brings you here?"

"Some thief stole our map," Kim explained. "We believe she fled here."

Amy gave a short physical description of Rouge. "You wouldn't happen to have seen her, would you?"

"I think I know what you're talking about," Wave confirmed. "I saw someone like that rushing into the big pyramid over there about ten minutes ago."

At that moment, Wave snapped her fingers. "Oh, wait a minute. Leo, Kim, there's something I wanted to tell you about. Remember that maneuver you showed me today? The Drive Spin, I believe it was called?"

Kim nodded. "Yes? What about it?"

"Well, Jet and I tried out that Drive Spin move some time after you left. We had Storm watch us from a good distance away. Then, a bit of turbulence caused the airship to tilt, and we skidded right into Storm, knocking him silly. Thing is, no matter how the ship tilted, we never tipped over as long as we were spinning."

I laughed. "Sounds interesting. I'll keep that in mind."

Around then, we heard Amy shriek. Kim and I whirled around to see what the big deal was, and saw that she was not quite her former self. The female hedgehog now had sharp claws, a long tail, and a cat's face. For some reason, her clothes were unaffected.

"Wow," Wave commented. "You don't see a hedgehog spontaneously turn into a cat every day."

Amy was completely panicked. "Leo! Kim! This is terrible! I can't marry Sonic like this! Do something! DO SOMETHING!"

A self-satisfied laugh interrupted the scene. The four of us all turned to face Princess Mariko, who had come from her fortune-telling tent just to see all this. "It looks like you understand the curse I applied to you," Mariko began. "I followed you here after you left my tent."

"You!" Amy yelled out. "Undo what you did to me, or I'll clobber you into next week!" With her hammer in her hands, she seemed very intimidating.

Mariko seemed a little scared. "Calm down, calm down. If you really want to undo the curse, all you need is one of the golden vulture feathers from King Frara's treasure room. His pyramid's the big one over there. Go straight in, and take the third right. When you reach a dead end, push on the brick with the hand icon to open the secret door. The feathers should be in a box with an eye marked on it. Got all that?"

"Big pyramid over there, third right, dead end, push the hand, secret door, box with an eye," I repeated. "I got it."

"That's the same pyramid Wave pointed out," Kim added. "Looks like we can kill two birds with one stone. Er, no offense, Wave."

Wave just shrugged it off. "None taken. You're not the first."

* * *

"Sure is dark in here," Kim commented as the three of us entered the pyramid. Not only was it dark, but the walls were slightly damp, which was a little creepy. There were a few cobwebs on the walls, but apparently Rouge had knocked most of them down when she'd come through here.

"Doesn't seem that dark to me," Amy replied. "I can see fine."

_That's because you're a cat,_ I thought to myself. I thought the remark might offend Amy, though, so I didn't dare say it out loud. I just led the way, with my flashlight in my hand.

We skipped our first opportunity to turn right, and our second as well. The third time a hallway passed us by on our right, we turned and began down it. Had Rouge been down here? It seemed likely, because this passage was as clear as the previous one.

The hallway ended abruptly at a stone wall. To the left and right, many hieroglyphs lined the walls. Amy inspected the left wall, while Kim and I looked at the right, until we found the telltale hand mark which Princess Mariko had told us about.

"You do the honors," I instructed Amy, who approached the hand mark and pushed in the brick it was marked on. A loud CLICK echoed through the halls, as the stone wall which formerly blocked our path began to slide to the side.

* * *

Movie night down in Emerald County, eh? I've decided to alternate between this story and _Saul_ from now on. With both in progress, it's a good idea for me to keep some kind of balance. 


	29. Demon Ceremony

Red and Purple

Author's note: You're probably wondering by now why I always put the name of the story at the top of every chapter I write. Well, never mind. I've done it ever since I first began writing, and I don't intend to break the habit.

* * *

Segment 5: From Bat to Curse

Chapter 4: Demon Ceremony

* * *

(Amy)

I have to say, being a cat wasn't one of my favorite experiences. After a while, though, I got used to it, as strange as it felt. Besides that, I had Leo and Kim on my side, and I had a feeling that they would find a way to undo the curse.

As the foxes and I stood in front of the secret door as it slid open, my confidence was at its peak. It took a nosedive, however, when we saw what was inside. This was the treasure room, all right, but we were not the first ones to find it.

No traces of treasure remained in the room. A broken vase lay on the floor, and a few empty treasure boxes were left open. The box with the eye on it was there, too, but it was empty as well.

"Rouge!" I hissed. "We're too late! Rouge got here first!"

"But I don't think she came back out," Kim added. "She's probably hiding in the room somewhere, but I can't imagine where." (She didn't explain how she'd figured THAT out.)

Leo had a smirk on his face. He swiveled his flashlight over to the far wall, revealing a pedestal on which rested an odd crystal ball. It looked a lot like Princess Mariko's, but it was much darker; a chill went down my spine as I looked at it.

"Another demon settlement," Kim muttered. "Who'd have thought they'd put it in such an obvious place for us to find?"

So that was one of the demons' settlements that Leo and Kim had told me about. I had to wonder what the crystal ball business was all about, but before I could put any thought into it, Kim grabbed me by the wrist while Leo put his hand on the ball.

The next thing I knew, the three of us were falling through a vortex of pure darkness. I kept feeling like I was going to scream, but I never did.

When we landed, we were back in the pyramid, but it was a lot darker than it had been before. Had the demons constructed their settlement in the image of the real pyramid? Apparently they had.

"I guess Rouge is in here somewhere," I whispered to Leo and Kim. I didn't dare say it out loud; I was too scared.

Leo didn't say anything. He put his hand to his ear, as if listening for something. Or maybe he was already hearing something, and was trying to make out what it was; I couldn't tell. Kim followed suit. My ears were not as good as theirs were, so I remained silent.

"Sounds like some kind of chant," Kim finally said. "Come on, let's step closer. But be quiet."

The three of us carefully tiptoed out of the treasure room and slipped around the corner. The chanting got louder as we got closer, until finally the hall ended at a doorway. "It's right behind this door," Leo whispered to us.

Peeking into the doorway, I saw an interesting scene. A series of black impish creatures- each one looked like a cross between a dragon and a wolf- stood together in kneeled positions as if worshipping someone. There was a large fire in the center of the room, above which was a familiar figure who was tied up tightly. It was Rouge.

In one of the back corners of the room, a pile of treasure was piled up. I could see a dark jewel that resembled a Chaos Emerald- assumedly, that was the Black Emerald- as well as a few shimmering golden feathers. That must have been the treasure Rouge had tried to steal.

"I'll have you know, bat girl," a familiar voice called out from the back of the room, "that we do not take kindly to people who try to steal our treasure. For that, you will be sacrificed."

"That's Princess Mariko," I whispered to Leo and Kim.

"Not exactly," Leo whispered back. "The demons have made some kind of double of her. They make a lot of those, usually to guard the Black Emeralds."

However, I had already turned my attention back to Rouge, who was tied up and hanging from the ceiling by a rope above the fire like a fly hanging from a spider's web. If that rope were to be cut, she would drop into the fire and die a painful death, and we'd never get that map back.

At that moment, two of the demons set up a ladder behind the fire. Princess Mariko- excuse me, D-Mariko- got up from the throne and began to walk slowly toward the ladder.

"What do we do?" I whispered to Leo and Kim. "If we go in there, those demons will maul us! But we have to save Rouge, as little as she deserves it!"

Leo's eyes drifted to the pillars that dotted the room. They went from the floor straight to the ceiling, and they appeared to be made of soft stone; ideal for climbing with the right tools.

"No problem," Leo whispered back. "I have an idea. If it works, not only will Rouge survive, but we'll have the Black Emerald and one of those golden vulture feathers. Here's what we do."

* * *

I bet you wonder what that idea is. Well, you'll just have to be kept in suspense until I come back to this story in the cycle! 


	30. The Plan

Red and Purple

Author's note: You're going to have to bear with me on this one. I just found out why Strafer hasn't been reviewing my stories as thoroughly as he used to: he isn't that interested in them. You can imagine what that did to my confidence, but then he submitted a review to Saul, and he seemed more interested than before, so now I'm all confused, and I don't know what to think. Oh well.

* * *

Segment 5: From Bat to Curse

Chapter 5: The Plan

* * *

(Kim)

Amy went in first, but instead of just rushing in and getting noticed by the demons, she swung around and jumped onto the wall; I could hear the satisfying sound of her claws digging in. Peeking into the doorway, I could see that the demons were too busy with the ceremony to notice.

From there, Amy jumped to the nearest pillar, climbed around it so D-Mariko wouldn't see, and jumped across to the next one. She continued this pattern, and managed to reach the pillar nearest the ladder as D-Mariko began to ascend it. All this time, I watched and waited for our chance.

This was it. D-Mariko was at the top of the ladder, ready to cut the rope that stood between Rouge and her fiery demise, and Amy was in position. All at once, Amy jumped off and grabbed Rouge, and the two of them swung back and forth together like a giant pendulum.

"Now!" I whispered to Leo. The demons were so startled by this new turn of events that they didn't notice as Leo and I sidled along the outside wall, continuing around until we were within reach of the treasure.

Meanwhile, Amy had somehow gotten Rouge swinging in a circle. D-Mariko just stood at the top of the ladder, speechless. With just the right timing, she leaned out and pushed D-Mariko from behind.

D-Mariko shrieked as she plummeted into the fire. The demons could only watch as she met her death in the flames. This was perfect. Leo took the Black Emerald, while I picked up one of the golden feathers from the treasure pile.

Still swinging, Amy watched as Mariko suffered the same fate as was intended for Rouge. Then, she used her own claws to slice the rope, and she landed neatly on the ground with Rouge and dashed through the crowd of demons toward the way she'd came in. She reached the exit at about the same time we did.

At that moment, one demon turned and saw the four of us at the exit. It pointed at us with its arm and yelled out a bit of language that I couldn't comprehend; it must've been a demon thing. My guess was that it meant something along the lines of "There they are! After them!"

In a second, the entire crowd of demons was running after us. Leo was in front of me, while I had Amy by the arm. Amy was dragging Rouge behind her; there was no time to get her untied.

"We've got to get back to the entrance," Leo called out, "before those black monsters catch up to us!" I wasn't too happy about his pointing out the obvious, but I didn't say anything.

Leo made a perfect left turn, with the rest of us following. The door to the treasure room had closed! It took a few seconds for us to locate the hand brick and push it, and by then the demons were closing in.

As soon as the secret door slid open, Leo made a dive for the crystal ball. Instead of reaching it, he knocked the pedestal over, causing the ball to drop, but I lunged forward and caught it.

In a flash of light, the four of us were sucked into the ball, and in my heart, I knew that we were finally safe.

* * *

Back in the light-world treasure room, Amy carefully cut the ropes on Rouge as Leo and I smugly watched the dark crystal ball shatter itself. The demons had no chance of catching us now.

Once Rouge was free, Leo approached her. "The map, bat girl. Hand over the map!"

Rouge angrily took the map out of her pocket and shoved it into our hands. "Take it, red. As much as I like jewels, I'm not going to get myself in one of THOSE situations again!" And with that, she was gone.

After watching Rouge run off, I took out the golden feather and held it up. "Princess Mariko said this thing would undo the curse. I wonder how it works."

"Give me that," Leo interjected, snatching the feather from my hand. I was about to protest, but he had more experience with feathers than I did, so I let him take it.

Leo calmly approached Amy, asked her to hold still, and- of all things!- tickled her nose with the feather. Amy was noticeably affected by this. "Leo! What are you… ah… ah… WAH-CHOO!"

Amazingly, it worked. The instant Amy sneezed, all traces of her cat body vanished, and she was back to her normal self. Time seemed to stand still for a moment before Amy spoke again. "Leo? I'm back! What did you do?"

"Nothing much- just this," Leo replied, tickling Amy's nose again. What a goof. Inevitably, Amy sneezed again, and this sneeze somehow caused her cat body to restore itself.

Sensing a bit of fun, Leo leaned forward for a third tickle, but I stepped in and separated the two of them. "All right, that's enough, Leo. This is serious business." I then snatched the feather back and tickled Amy's nose myself, returning her to normal once more.

That done with, I gave Amy the feather, so Leo wouldn't mess around with it any more. Then, the three of us started to leave the pyramid.

* * *

It's not normal for me to kill off a character like that. Still, writing this chapter felt somehow liberating, although I'm probably never going to hear the end of it from Strafer about how I undid the curse. I'm a humorist by nature, okay? 


	31. 4th Black Emerald

Red and Purple

Author's note: I just got shot down by Strafer, big time, so I'm a little depressed right now. Ugh, right when I think I've finally pleased him, I get criticized again. But why should I quit writing on a technicality?

* * *

Segment 5: From Bat to Curse

Chapter 6: 4th Black Emerald

* * *

(Leo)

Amy led the way as the three of us exited the pyramid. She seemed very happy now that she was her old self again. Of course, who wouldn't be?

Wave had already gone, but Princess Mariko was waiting for us outside the pyramid. Her clothes were burnt, her fur was singed, and she looked terrible; it looked as if she had just wrestled with a bonfire. For a brief moment, there was nothing but silence. Kim and I glanced at each other; had the events in the demon settlement affected this world?

Mariko spoke first. "I see the three of you figured out how to undo the curse," she said.

"Yeah," Kim replied. "But I, for one, expected something a little more dramatic." Mariko didn't respond.

I quickly changed the subject. "Say, what happened to you, Princess? You look awful."

The fortune-teller sighed. "I was lighting the candelabras in my tent, and I got a little too close. I'm lucky my tent was fireproof."

"Serves you right for cursing me," Amy interjected. Mariko tried to punch her for that one, but Kim intervened.

"We should be getting back to Emerald Town," Kim decided. "Come on, let's go."

* * *

As we approached Tails' lab, I noticed that the lights were off again, but Tails hurriedly turned them on when he saw us approaching. "I guess the three of you got the Black Emerald," he began.

I held up the Black Emerald. "You bet we did, but it wasn't easy."

The three of us told Tails the whole story. Tails laughed a little when we told him about the curse Mariko had put on Amy, but he winced when he heard about D-Mariko falling into the fire.

"If you ask me," Amy finished, "that experience was terrible! I am not going into another one of those demon settlements! Not even if Sonic was in there! …Well, maybe if Sonic was in there."

Tails smiled as he snatched the Black Emerald from my hand. "Well, that's four. Only three are left. Keep up the good work. Whether or not the demons prevail depends a great deal on whether you can get the remaining Black Emeralds."

This was a slightly unusual way of phrasing this statement, but I just shrugged it off. "By the way, Tails," Kim asked, "I'd like to know a little more about your time as a Fox Scout. What was it like, being partnered with Drive?"

At this question, Tails hesitated a little. "Well, there was this one time when Drive and I were selling Fox Scout cookies. The Fox Scouts emphasized teamwork; I had to do just about everything with Drive. Anyway, there was this one house that was protected by a fierce bulldog that we couldn't get past, no matter what we tried."

"Did Drive have another one of his brainstorms?" I suggested.

"You guessed it," Tails explained. "First off, I stood up on his shoulders, since I was younger. Then, he grabbed my ankles and swung me forward, as if swinging a hammer. At the same time, I brought my fists down, slamming a garbage can lid that'd been carelessly left on the ground with considerable force."

"That must've been loud," Amy commented.

"It was. And the bulldog relented for just long enough for us to slip by and give our sales pitch at the door. Drive later gave the mood a name, the 'Drive Hammer'. I didn't object to the name."

As if reading my mind, Kim suddenly lashed out at me with a quick comment. "If you try that Drive Hammer move with me, Leo, I'll smack you."

Amy stepped forward. "Where does Drive live now, Tails? Do you know?"

Tails nodded. "He lives in a cabin in the Keystone Mountains. There's a picture of a car on the door. You can't miss it."

Kim was already looking at our map. "Aha! Now isn't that a coincidence. There's a settlement mark over in the Keystone Mountains. It's funny how, whenever we intend to go somewhere, it always turns out to be the location of one of the demon settlements."

"I guess fate is on your side for your quest," Tails commented. We weren't sure whether he was joking or not.

"So it's settled," I decided. "Tomorrow morning, we strike out for the Keystone Mountains. It's getting a little late today, so we'll go eat some dinner and then turn in."

Amy agreed. "Leo, Kim, the two of you have done enough for one day. Come on. Let's go eat at the diner. My treat."

"You three go," Tails suggested. "I'd better stay here and guard the Emeralds."

That sounded good, so the three of us left the lab and headed for the diner.

* * *

END OF SEGMENT

I've got nothing to say here. Sorry. 


	32. Segment 5 Summary

Red and Purple

Author's note: Yes, I have to write these segment summaries. I've written four already; there's no turning back now.

* * *

Segment 5: From Bat to Curse

Summary of Events

* * *

This particular excursion was a little more interesting than previous ones were. Let's see why.

It turns out that Rouge the Bat had stolen the map while Amy was looking at it! Amy joined Leo and Kim and headed down to Tails' lab to discuss the matter.

According to Tails, Rouge had fled to the Desert of King Frara, the location of another settlement. Since Amy was planning a sightseeing trip to the desert anyway, she requested that she join Leo and Kim on their trip.

Upon reaching the desert, the party of three visited a fortune-teller named Princess Mariko, who had a bloodline connected to the desert. When Amy criticized the fortune, Mariko put a curse on her, but it didn't take effect immediately.

Later, Leo, Kim, and Amy ran into Wave again. (Well, I guess the "again" only applies to Leo and Kim, but that's beside the point.) Luckily for the party, Wave had seen Rouge rushing into one pyramid in particular.

Around then, Mariko's curse took effect. Amy was panicked when she found that she was now a cat, but Mariko explained that the curse could be undone with a golden feather from King Frara's treasure stash- inside the same pyramid that Rouge had entered!

Leo, Kim, and Amy entered the pyramid in pursuit of Rouge and the feather. They found the treasure room, but Rouge had found it first, and not a single bit of treasure was left. However, there WAS another demon settlement entrance.

Inside the settlement, the party of three found a crowd of demons about to sacrifice Rouge to the flames. Leo came up with an excellent plan that saved Rouge and netted them the Black Emerald and a golden feather to boot, and then they made a rather narrow escape.

After that terrible experience, Rouge was more than willing to part with the map before making her getaway. Once Leo figured out how to undo the curse on Amy, they left the pyramid as well.

Princess Mariko was waiting outside, though she'd been burnt by one of her candelabras; serves her right for the curse! After hearing her "congratulations", Leo, Kim, and Amy returned to Emerald Town.

After accepting the Black Emerald, Tails- at Kim's request- told another one of his stories of his Fox Scout days. He explained how he and Drive frightened off a bulldog using a move called the Drive Hammer. Kim threatened to smack Leo if he tried it with her, though.

Tails also mentioned that Drive now lived in a cabin in the Keystone Mountains, which just happened to be the location of one of the demon settlements. (Funny how things work out that way.) So Leo and Kim agreed that that would be their next destination.

However, one has to wonder a few things. Just what will happen when all seven Black Emeralds have been found? And why did Tails turn out the lights again? It seems a little odd to turn out the lights at such a time.

D'oh! I've got to control myself! If I say too much, I'll spoil the story! 


	33. Brave Souls

Red and Purple

Author's note: Sorry for the lag, folks. What with school and all, I've had a hard time fitting everything into my schedule. But nevertheless, this is the next in the order, so here we go!

* * *

Segment 6: Scout's Honor

Chapter 1: Brave Souls

* * *

(Kim)

I'll never forget the dream I had that night. I was standing in the middle of some kind of ancient garden, with a few flowers growing around me. I could hear birds chirping in the background, too. It looked like Echidna Fields many years in the past. I wasn't in my fox form, either- I was human again- and for some reason that felt strange.

In front of me stood a female echidna in some kind of strange outfit that would never have gotten by the fashion police under normal circumstances. I decided I'd better not comment on it.

"Kim," the echidna finally said, in a pure, clean voice that sounded as if it came from an angel. "Kim Starlinowski. Don't be shy. Step closer to me."

"H-how did you know my name?" I asked fiercely, but at the same time I found myself approaching her. She put her hand up, and I stopped in my tracks.

"I am Tikal," the echidna introduced herself, "a goddess of this world. You have no doubt been wondering why you have arrived in Emerald County." I nodded silently, though I hadn't really questioned that recently.

Tikal smiled. "Well then, let me explain. I believe it's way overdue. You are no doubt aware that a long while back, I brought your brother, Leo, to this world. I knew that a disaster was about to befall this world, and I needed a brave soul to beat it back. I scanned your world, and I found Leo. He- hey, I saw you rolling your eyes!"

Hearing Tikal suddenly yell at me, I suddenly jumped back, blinked a few times, and looked at her again as she cleared her throat and continued. "Right. Well, as I was saying, your brother had precisely the right qualities to be this world's hero, so I brought him here to this world."

"Let me guess," I interrupted, catching on. "When his job was done, you then returned him to my world in the same way, so that he thought it was a dream the entire time."

"Yes," Tikal confirmed. "You're a very bright one. But I'm not done. When the demons arose, I knew that they were a more serious problem than the last. So this time, I took no chances, and brought both of you here. I apologize for deceiving either of you in any way."

I quickly shook my head. "No, I'm not worried about that, Tikal. It's just that Leo will never believe me if I tell him this."

Tikal laughed out loud. Her laugh was as beautiful as any other part of her voice, and I couldn't help but smile as I heard it. "You don't have to worry about that," she assured me. "I've taken the liberty of telling him the same things I just told you. He understands it as well as you do."

"Thank you for that, Tikal," I agreed. "But I have one more question."

"Yes?"

"Do you have any relation to Knuckles or the Master Emerald? You look a little like him. The resemblance is very obvious."

Tikal nodded. "As a matter of fact, I'm glad you asked that. Knuckles is what you'd call a priest of this world. I myself created the seven Chaos Emeralds- you know about them- to aid in the battle against evil, but it soon became apparent that they could be stolen and used for evil ways, so I created the Master Emerald to counterbalance their power. It is Knuckles' duty to guard the Master Emerald."

I took in every word of Tikal's explanation, and nodded silently. Amazingly, I understood every word of it, even though I was barely listening. Now that everything was explained to me, I felt a lot more confident.

"Good luck in defeating the demons; I believe in you," Tikal finally concluded, and with that everything went white.

It was then that I woke up. I looked at the alarm clock on the nightstand. It was eight in the morning! The night sure went quickly! Leo was still asleep, so I shook him, and he woke with a start. We got out of bed together.

"We slept in," Leo commented. "I guess that wild dream about the echidna goddess sped the night along more quickly than I thought."

As we made our morning preparations, the phone rang. Leo answered; it was Amy again. She'd picked up some train tickets for us to the Keystone Mountains, and she wanted to meet us at the train station in half an hour.

"Sounds like she's got a plan," I decided. "Amy sure is helping us a lot. Come on, let's go."

* * *

I really didn't expect myself to be the kind of person to tap this deeply into the unknowns of the Sonic world. Nevertheless, I can hear N.S. now: "I'm glad you finally delved into how Leo and Kim got here, though I still don't see…" 


	34. Drive me Crazy

Red and Purple

Author's note: I've gotta get out of this slump. I've got to get back to writing. In the meantime, it looks like the last chapter just about wrecked me. But I can't turn back now, so here's the next chapter.

* * *

Segment 6: Scout's Honor

Chapter 2: Drive Me Crazy

* * *

(Leo)

I had a strange dream that night. I was in front of an altar and- oh, did Kim already tell you about that? Okay, I'll skip ahead.

Amy was waiting outside the hotel when we got outside. She'd bought round-trip bus tickets to the Keystone Mountains for both of us. I suppose it was an apology for chickening out on us at the end of our last excursion, or maybe she was just trying to support us. Either way, we accepted them happily.

Nothing was particularly noteworthy about the bus ride to the mountains. We watched the scenery go by, and people got on and off. Everything was pretty calm. Nobody really had any idea of what we were doing.

* * *

Kim and I disembarked from the bus when it stopped at the Keystone station. I wasn't really sure why it had that name, but I didn't say anything to Kim.

There were some tall mountains, sure, but most of it was the foothills. A path had even been raked out for us to follow. It seemed that this was a popular tourists' stop, too.

"I wonder what this Drive guy is like," Kim mentioned as we walked together. "To have a cabin here in the mountains, he must be quite the outdoorsman. I guess he hasn't changed a lot since his days in the Fox Scouts."

"Maybe not. Tails said that there's a picture of a car on his door. Maybe he's a racing fan." I wasn't sure what to think about Drive, but I said what I thought.

We were in luck. The path led right by a cute wooden cabin the size of a small house. A picture of a cute racing car was engraved into the front door. There was no need to use a lifeline; this was Drive's place for sure.

Kim approached the door and knocked on it. We waited a moment, but nobody answered. She put her ear to the door. She could hear a television on inside, she mentioned to me. It sounded like a NASCAR race or something, and the volume had been cranked up.

"So he didn't hear the door," I muttered. There had to be a way to get this cabin's occupant to hear us. And I knew just the thing.

Two metallic garbage cans rested beside the front door. I carefully removed the lid from one and placed it on the ground. "All right, Kim, help me on this one."

"Oh no you don't!" Kim quickly shot back, having apparently read my mind. "You know as well as I do how dangerous that move would be! Do you want me to get myself killed?"

It took me about five or ten minutes to calm Kim down and convince her to cooperate with me. I stood a few feet away from the lid, facing it, with Kim on top of me, acrobat-style. With one smooth motion, I brought my hands up and grasped Kim's ankles firmly. Kim responded by putting her fists together above her head.

"On my mark, okay, Kim? Three! Two! One!"

At zero, I swung Kim forward like an axe. At the same time, she brought her fists down to strike the lid, which rang like a gong. The noise was so loud it might've caused an avalanche if there'd been more snow on the mountains.

When Kim had hit the ground, she'd gotten awful scrapes and bruises on her lower body. She turned to me and yelled a lot of things at me while she rubbed her sore areas, but my ears were ringing so much from that lid that I didn't hear any of it. Even if I had, I don't think some of you would want to hear what she said.

It'd worked, though. She stopped when the doorknob on the cabin turned, and a grey-colored fox with a pair of racing goggles on his head greeted us in the doorframe. "You could've just knocked!"

"We did," Kim muttered, "but nobody answered. So Leo here had to pull this crazy move to make a loud noise and get your attention."

I snapped my fingers and pushed Kim aside. "You're Drive, right? From the Fox Scouts?"

"That's me. Teamwork was the name of the game in the Fox Scouts; my partner, Miles, picked that up right away."

Kim glanced up. "Miles?" Can't say I'd heard that name before, either.

Drive nodded. "Yeah, Miles. He kinda stands out in a crowd with his twin tails, but once you get to know him, he's actually a nice guy."

We began to trade stories. It turned out that Miles was Tails's real name, and that he hadn't begun calling himself Tails until after he'd left the Fox Scouts. Drive also apologized for not hearing us when we knocked; yes, he had the television on too loud. And he didn't get visitors too often, so he really wasn't expecting anyone.

"Sounds like Miles has developed a lot since I saw him last," Drive finished. He invited us in, and we gladly accepted.

* * *

And there we go. Another chapter done with. I hope everyone likes it. (Ha! That'll be a first.) 


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